Safe In Your Arms
by Lady RavenEyes
Summary: Perhaps we really all were just dancing on the strings of fate. Aragorn/OC, Legolas/Arwen Reposted
1. Escaping

_**Anywhere Was Better ... Or Not ...**_

**Chapter 1:**

**Escaping**

Anywhere was better than here.

Sure, the small cabin was warm and comfortable, but the company was less than desirable. He was gone now, though, leaving me in the middle of the woods with no way back to civilization except my own two feet. Maybe it was because he didn't expect me to do anything stupid that he didn't lock the front door. Maybe it was because he simply forgot. After all, crooks aren't usually up there on the 10 Smartest People list.

It had only been one day that I was here, but that day was much too long for me. If no one had come looking for me yet, then I was going to get out myself. Only now that I look back I realize how badly that could have turned out for me. I got off the couch and grabbed my backpack from where it had been thrown into a corner. I looked inside. A water bottle, a couple of granola bars and my first aid kit were all that was in there.

You see, I had planned on going on a hike yesterday. It was sunny, not to cold, and I was bored. So I left the house only to find that there are some very creepy people that live behind my grandparent's farm. I had always thought my grandma was nuts when she said that she was afraid of people breaking out of prison and hiding out back there. Now I wasn't too sure. If that guy hadn't escaped from jail then I was born yesterday.

Well, if I was going to escape I might as well take some of his things with me that might come in useful. I had no idea how far I was from the farm or town so there was no knowing how long I had to walk before getting to freedom.

I was almost too afraid to see what was in his fridge and when I looked it was nothing but frozen burgers and beer. I opened a closet and found microwavable Mac – and – Cheese and laughed out loud. The guy had no microwave and it didn't look like he had much in the way of pots either so how he was going to cook anything was beyond me. There were also some bottles of whiskey.

If there's one thing that's consistent about this guy it's that he likes his alcohol.

I wound up grabbing a penknife in case I ran into trouble. In retrospect I should have brought a lot more stuff with me. But at the time I was worried, scared, and since it was sunny and warm out, didn't think about the fact that it would soon get dark and cold. So I put the knife in my pocket and looked out the front door a crack.

His car was still missing. The only thing I heard was the call of songbirds. At least he wasn't on his way back from wherever it is that kidnappers go during the day. I ran outside and into the trees as quickly as possible.

After the initial rejoicing, it took me about fifteen minutes for me to realize that I had no idea which way I should go. Suddenly I felt as small, lonely, and scared as I did when I was in that cabin last night. But I refused to let myself be like that. Being scared shows weakness and crying is even worse.

Miss Hudson told us once in girl scouts how to find our way if we were lost. Well I was certainly lost now. I couldn't follow the sun because I couldn't see it through the tree tops. It wasn't night time so I couldn't follow Polaris and there would be the same problem with the trees. So I resorted to looking at the moss on trees to find which direction was north.

Now, I'm no moss expert but the stuff seemed to be growing everywhere. Rocks, dead trees, live trees, the ground – it seemed to be growing on everything as long as it stood still long enough. And that's including the entire circumference of the trees. So I went to Plan B. Walk in a straight line.

I walked and I walked and I walked. I was scraped and had God knows how many brambles in my hair when my hunger finally overcame my will to get home. I sat on a, who would have guessed, moss covered rock, and opened my backpack. I ate one of the Chewy bars, and drank some of my water. It was only then that I realized how stupid I was. I was almost safer back with the kidnapper. At least I wouldn't die of starvation, dehydration, or bears.

I began walking again. It wasn't too long after that I began to hear crunching of dead leaves and twigs. It seemed to be coming from all around me. I knew I was in the forest and blamed deer and squirrels for the racket. But soon those deer and squirrels turned into bears and cougars.

And then it was kidnapper.

The joy I felt when I first escaped had definitely worn off by about 3 that afternoon. I tried to push the uneasiness to the back of my mind but failed miserably. There was nothing I could do but walk and walk and walk. I knew that I wouldn't be able to get to a house by nightfall and wasn't too happy about spending the night alone in the forest with who knows what following me.

And it was what was following me that scared me the most. I didn't know who or what it was. The forest that at first was friendly and welcoming was quickly becoming a hostile enemy, the motives of which no one knew. There were too many things I couldn't see yet could feel or hear.

Suddenly something jumped out of the forest from my left directly into the path in front of me. I'm a little ashamed to say it, but the first thing I did was scream as loud as I possibly could. I then reached into my pocket with shaking hands and drew the pen knife, fumbling a bit before it opened. The man in front of me smiled, showing rows and rows of uneven, jagged teeth.

You know how sometimes you think strange things at the most inappropriate of times?

Well this was one of those times for me. The only thing I could think was just how much alcohol one had to drink for your child to become _that_ deformed. The guy was mostly bald with some long, dark hair covered with grease. His brown eyes seemed to bore into me, but I was too transfixed on the slightly pointed ears and the grayish skin. Maybe he had some kind of skin disease? But my thoughts were quickly interrupted when he pulled out what looked like a short sword.

My eyes widened and the thing just let out a menacing chuckle. That sword made my knife look like nothing more than a pin. He took a step towards me. I took a step back. There was nothing I could do. I didn't know karate or anything. But I certainly wasn't going to die in the middle of the woods where my family would never find my body, and definitely not after escaping from that kidnapper's house. I came too far for some deformed freak to kill me. I wouldn't let that happen. I just wouldn't.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I was majoring in history. I studied battles and swords before. And I certainly had read enough books set in the Middle Ages so that I knew the basic theory behind sword fighting. Maybe I could….But my thoughts were cut short when it charged at me, full speed ahead. I did the first think that came to mind.

Scream and duck.

Apparently it wasn't expecting that, but I don't know why. I'm sure that would be most other people's first reactions too.

I stood and looked around. I couldn't find it and sighed in relief. Maybe it tripped and bashed his head on a rock. But the sudden pain in my left side right under my ribs told me otherwise. I dropped the knife as my right hand clutched my side. I fell to one knee in pain. Everything in my mind was screaming for me to get out of the way, to move, to try to fight off the guy attacking me. But my body just wouldn't move. I couldn't get my limbs to do anything. All I could think of was the pain. I picked up my hand and saw that it was covered with blood.

Maybe seeing that was what brought action back to my limbs. Maybe seeing my own blood was what made me move. And it was an awfully good thing that I did, because the sword came down right on the spot where I had been kneeling. If I hadn't had moved, my skull would have been split wide open.

I was still on the ground, and was about to push myself up when I heard a crash and saw the thing dead in front of me. I hadn't been looking up at the time. I was looking at the ground, which I realize know was a very stupid thing to do. But hey, I was never in a situation quite like that before.

But if he was dead and lying a pool of his own black blood, and it wasn't me who killed him that would have to mean …

* * *

[Aragorn's POV]

"Are you alright, miss?"

The girl looked up at me and gasped. For a moment there was genuine fear in her eyes. She must have thought me to be another of the orcs which had attacked her, though they do not speak as we do. After a moment the fear passed, though she still looked on me with distrust. This was still natural though. I was dressed in the garb of a ranger, whom are usually distrusted by the men of the Breeland region, full of mud from the journey and now the blood the orc which I had killed. I wiped my sword on the hem of my cloak. A little more blood wouldn't hurt the mixture.

She was dressed oddly, but I had little time to dwell on that. A long gash stretched across her ribs on her left side. "Yeah," she finally responded to my question. Her voice was breathy, though she was trying her hardest to sound normal. The girl began pushing herself up before I could stop her. She winced and doubled over in pain, clutching at the wound.

I strode quickly to her. I began to carefully pry her fingers from where they so desperately clutched her side in an unconscious attempt to stem the bloodflow and stop the pain. I ignored her stare and concentrated on the wound. It was deep. Too deep. And bleeding freely. I had nothing with me to patch her up quickly. All the supplies were back at camp.

She was still watching me with a distrustful eye. If she wouldn't accept my help I'd have to wait until she was unconscious to help her. Not the best of plans but from the stare I was getting at the moment that seemed to be what was going to happen. "I won't hurt you." I tried to reassure her.

The girl was looking up into my eyes. "You promise?" It was barely above a whisper, so childlike.

"Of course. I saved your life didn't I?" My pride was only slightly hurt that she didn't believe me. She looked down at the carcass of the orc. "What was that?" Either she had never encountered an orc before or was loosing consciousness faster than I had anticipated. No matter which it was I had to get her to camp quickly, in case she did collapse, as the blood did not look like it was going to slow or stop soon.

"An orc." I responded. Her head shot up from her studies of the dead orc.

"Are you serious?" I nodded curtly.

"I never saw one before. I thought that they were just in stories."

"I hope you understand now that they are very real. Your wound doesn't look good. You'll have to come back to my camp before you can return to your companions." I wasn't sure where she was from precisely, but wherever it was must have been a place similar to the Shire. She had such innocence, as far as I could tell. Even Frodo and the others new that orcs and goblins were very real dangers not only to be found in the old stories.

"I don't have any companions."

If anything she had said before had surprised me, this topped them all. "You mean to tell me that you're out in these woods alone?" The girl nodded, as if a woman traveling alone miles from any village were a commonplace thing. "These are dangerous parts. Many evils lurk here." I turned and began leading her in the direction of camp. The camp itself wasn't very far. But with how bad that would was beginning to look it was much too far indeed.

She half smiled at my words. "No kidding. I escape sleaze ball's house only to get attack by an … an …"

"Orc." I finished the sentence for her. She nodded slighly. I was walking even with her, made difficult by the extremely slow pace she was keeping. "You can lean on me, if you wish. That wound looks painful." I was torn between carrying her back to camp for her own good and risk her fainting or injuring herself further because of her fear of me and letting her continue on as she was. Asking her was the only middle ground between the two which I could think of. What course I would take would depend on her answer.

The girl looked sideways at me, considering my words. Part of her wanted my help, that much I could tell. But she didn't concede. Whatever had happened to her before she encountered the orc must have frightened her to death, or worse. I was used to not being trusted, but not on this grand of a scale by someone with such a grievous wound.

"I'll be fine."

But she inched closer to me, though just barely. We walked in silence for a few minutes. I was watching her movements without staring outright. She was getting sluggish. My worry increased. Suddenly she began to wobble. It was a root that she had tripped on. I had her round the waist before she fell. She straightened up, but was leaning heavily on me. "Thanks," she said, not quite meeting my eyes.

"Will you be alright to walk?" She shook her head, not saying a word. I put one arm under her shoulders and the other under her knees, sweeping her off the ground. The wound in her side touched my chest. She cried out in pain, no longer trying to hide it from me. There was no longer any point to the charade. "I'm sorry." She didn't respond. I looked down at her. Her hazel eyes were slightly unfocused. She was beginning to loose consciousness. We were too far from camp for that to happen. She had to stay awake as long as possible.

"What's your name?" I asked in an attempt to keep her awake. I cringed slightly, thinking how asking her name at the very least would have gotten her to trust me even just a little bit earlier.

"Cathleen," she told me. "But everyone calls me Cait."

"Cait." I repeated the name softly. I had not heard it before. "You have a beautiful name."

"Thanks."

I had to keep her talking in order to stay awake. "Where do you hail from?" It was the next natural question.

"Right now, Maplewood. But my family's from Cardigan. In Wales."

"Wales?" I had never heard of this land before. My immediate reaction was to say that Cait was becoming delirious. Yet the strange girl with her odd way of speaking and odd accent, let alone the her wardrobe was something I wasn't going to immediately going to dismiss. Perhaps she was simply from a distant land, lost and separated from her companions. Thinking back on her words, perhaps something more than that had occurred. I wasn't sure what exactly 'sleaze ball' meant and I wasn't sure I exactly wanted to know. "Who is the King of Wales?"

"Right now, Elizabeth II's the queen. But before the Norman's took over about 1000 years ago I guess you could say that my family was more or less. At least in that part of Wales."

I hesitated before responding. I was not expecting to hear something like this. Yet the way Cait carried herself, trying to hide her pain from me even though it was obviously there - that is the way of a king, or queen. "You are a daughter of kings then, however long ago it may be." I was waiting for confirmation of this, but it never came. That, in and of itself was more of a confirmation than admittance would ever be. "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. I too know what it is like to be descended from kings of old."

I am still not sure why I admitted this to a woman who I had only just met and barely trusted me. But I did. I looked down at her. She rested her head on my shoulder. Long brown hair fell across my cloak. Her dark brown eyes were half closed. I hurried my pace. Time was now of the essence.


	2. Goblins

So I'm reposting everything that I've put up so far. I'm going to see how much I can get up this week and hopefully finish the whole thing soon. Some chapters have added or changed content and others are entirely new, like this one! Let me know what you think.

Oh and POV stands for 'point of view'. I got tired of writing it out over and over.

* * *

_**Safe In Your Arms**_

**Chapter 2 - Goblins and Camp**

(Legolas' POV)

When I returned to the campsite Gandalf had found for us I expected to see Aragorn returned, a campfire glowing brightly and the hobbits singing merrily, as had been the nightly custom since leaving Rivendell. Eventually this would change. The closer we were to Mordor the more careful we had to be. We had not reached Lorien yet and so Gandalf wasn't yet worried about voices carrying to the wrong camp. If he was, he had not yet voiced his concerns but kept his own council, as the wizard was so apt to do. Slowly, the singing was dying down as the hobbits realized just how far we would be traveling. Our travels were at a brisk pace, much faster than the hobbits were accustomed to at least. They had been progressively growing more and more weary every night until Gandalf had agreed to slow the company down after some urging from myself and Aragorn.

We had stopped early tonight. Everyone was happy with the change, though only Pippin commented on it. I had left my companions looking weary, and at a distance they looked to be fairing the same. As I got closer I noticed the tense frames and quick glances to the tree line Aragorn had disappeared into earlier. It wasn't weariness, but nervousness. I shouldered the buck and quickened my pace.

It was this nervous and quiet camp that I walked into. Merry jumped as I threw the buck to the ground. There was no fire. And there was no Aragorn. Gimli was grumbling unintelligibly to himself a little ways off as he gathered kindling. Sam threw the vegtables he had been collecting as we walked all day into one of the pots he had been carrying. Merry was making a pile of pebbles in a bored, yet meticulous way. I frowned. There was no reason for Aragorn not to have returned. I had traveled the wilds with Aragorn many times before and never had I been the one to wait for my friend.

"_Mithrandir,_" I called to Gandalf in elvish, "_Where is Estel? Why __has he not returned?"_ I had almost said Aragorn instead of Estel, but caught myself at the last moment. I didn't want to worry the others unnecessarily and had forgotten that Frodo could understand a little elvish. Even with using Aragorn's childhood name, Frodo was watching me intently.

Gandalf paused a moment. He stared off into the trees where Aragorn had gone. I could not see through the thick foliage even with my keen sight. What Gandalf was looking at I knew not. Small frown lines formed on his forehead._ "Something waits in the trees."_

I waited for more information, but none came. I looked towards Frodo. He glanced at Gandalf and then at me again. Something changed in his face then as he finally understood what we had been speaking about. Ever so slowly Frodo loosened his sword which was belted around his waist. It was an Elvin blade, given to him by his uncle. A soft blue glow emanated from the hilt._ "Mithrandir! Goblins!" _I shouted. _"Boromir, Gimli, come with me."_ I began running forward, towards where Aragorn had disappeared. Pausing, I looked behind me.

Boromir and Gimli were staring at me as if I had lost my mind. But of course. I had not realized I wasn't speaking in the Common Tongue. I was getting old. Nothing needed to be said though. Frodo drew his sword completely. For a fraction of a second everyone paused, holding their breath. No one had expected goblins here. We were far from any of their lairs. Agents of the dark were growing more fearless, prowling ever closer to the Elvin borders. If this meant anything, it was worse that I had assumed.

Man and dwarf spread out to either side of me, the first to my left and the second to my right. As the two crashed through the trees, driving the goblins either farther or closer to us, depending on their numbers and gall, I leapt lightly through the brush. Scanning through the trees showed me nothing. If something was close it knew how to hide itself better than any goblin.

There was a noise in the trees. I stopped and listened for a moment. Gimli was stomping through the brush fairly close. Boromir had wandered farther off, but I thought I could hear the faint sounds of metal clashing upon metal. There was another noise. Something dark fluttered in the trees.

"Legolas!"

It was Aragorn. He had seen me before I knew it was him. I was truly was growing old. "Aragorn, there are goblin's about."

But Aragorn already knew. A girl was lying unconscious in his arms. I ignored her odd dress and strung my bow as Aragorn ran past me, back towards camp. Finding the goblins and clearing the forest of their presence would have to wait for now. Getting the girl back to camp was the most important task. Her entire side was red. The blood was beginning to seep into Aragorn's clothing as well, though I doubt he had noticed.

Camp was just as silent as it was when I had left. Gandalf was standing guard beside Frodo, leaning on his staff. He handed it off to Frodo when he saw the girl and made for the pile of packs, one of which had bandages and the like within it. I jumped ahead of Aragorn and began clearing a space free of rocks and twigs to lay her out. "Her breathing is shallow." I said as Aragorn put her down.

"She was stabbed by an orc," Aragorn told us as he lifted up her shirt and pressed a rag to her side in an effort to stop the bleeding. Sam handed me a small bunch of athelas leaves. I thanked him and ripped some off the stem.

"Where are her companions?" Frodo asked.

"They could have gotten into trouble." Merry said, concern in his voice.

"Let's go look for them!" Pippin and Merry had only taken two steps when Gandalf caught them both by an arm. Merry looked back at the wizard and frowned. "We can't just leave them out there. What if they're hurt too?"

Gandalf's face softened. "Boromir and Gimli will find them."

"Aragorn," I tried getting his attention as we worked on the wounded woman. She stirred as Aragorn put the athelas to her side. A moment later she was lying still. Aragorn didn't hear me, or else didn't respond. "What of her companions?"

* * *

(Aragorn's POV)

Legolas was worried about the girl, but not as much as I. He hadn't seen just how quickly she had lost all that blood. I held the rag to her side in an attempt to staunch the flow for what felt like hours. Blood seeped into the rag at first, but after a few minutes it lessened and then stopped entirely. Legolas was watching me curiously as he handed me a handful of crushed athelas and I knew I had missed something he said. "What of her companions?" the elf asked.

I didn't respond immediately. What would I say? I didn't doubt what Cait told me. However afraid of me she might have been, there was no lie in her eyes. She was speaking the truth as she knew it, whether or not that truth was something anyone else could completely understand.

"She has none," I said at length. I debated what I should tell them. "Her name is Cathleen, Cait as she is called. Before she lapsed into unconsciousness she spoke of her town, Maplewood, and also of her ancestral home."

"Where is she from, Aragorn?" Gandalf asked. He looked on the girl with interest.

"She is descended of Kings from a land called Wales." Gandalf said nothing, only retreated deep within himself, mulling over all the facts and notes of distant lands he had gathered in his long, long life. I glanced at Legolas. He had a curious look upon his face. One I had seen before, long ago when we were both much younger. Legolas chuckled quietly to himself.

Gimli had returned to camp at some point when I wasn't looking and had begun to roast the venison. He didn't seem bothered by the turn of events as the silent Gandalf or curious like the hobbits. Instead the dwarf took everything in stride to the point of ignoring the odd turn of events. Boromir crashed into camp as I began wrapping the wound.

"I believe I got them all. We can all rest well tonight." Boromir said, laying his sword by his bedroll. I didn't say anything, only looked back to my work. I heard his footsteps coming closer. Boromir stopped close by, his shadow falling on Cait's still form.

"Where did you find this one?" He asked. I glanced at Boromir. He was smirking, looking at Cait in a way Legolas did not like at all.

"Have some respect for the woman, Boromir. Or do they not teach that in Gondor any longer?"

It was not precisely what I wished Legolas to say. I must admit, though, that it had the desired effect. Boromir was silent for a few seconds longer than he usually was. "It is only that women of any respect usually do not dress is such a manner."

I paused. Boromir had been trying to backtrack what he said under the scrutinizing gazes of Legolas and Sam, both of whom Gandalf was watching. Camp was tense. None of us knew precisely how to act in the presence of Boromir any longer, not after what happened on the hillside as we tried to cross the Misty Mountains. I had been afraid then, afraid that the Ring had taken hold of Boromir more quickly and more subtly than Gandalf and myself had thought. But it had not taken him, at least not completely. Still, the event set us all on edge, especially the hobbits.

I pondered Boromir's words, ignoring the happenings in camp for the second time in only a few minutes. The way he spoke of Cait reminded me of the odd words she had spoken earlier. I tucked the edge of the bandage into itself and lowered her shirt. I took off my cloak and covered Cait with it. I didn't know what she had been through before coming across the path of the goblin. I was not going to speak of it to the others either. Perhaps I shouldn't have been so open with what she had spoken to me of at all. I cursed myself silently. Had it been only Legolas or Gandalf, it would have been different. They would not speak of the matter again. The others, I wasn't as sure of.


	3. Startling Revelations or Lack Thereof

Reposted.

* * *

_**Safe In Your Arms**_

**Chapter 3**

**Startling Revelations or the Lack Thereof**

(Cait's POV)

When I first woke I didn't open my eyes. I wished that everything had been a dream and I was back at my grandparents and never took that damnable walk. But the ache in my side told me that was only a dream.

I opened my eyes and looked for the man who had saved me. He must have been nuts. Maybe one of those reenactors at a Renaissance fair from the type of clothes he was wearing. But the bandage on my side was real enough, and the blood soaking through was too. It was nicely wrapped. At least I thought so. But since I wasn't a doctor I couldn't be sure. All I knew was that I hadn't bled to death, which, looking back, had been a real threat.

"You should keep that wrapped. I don't want to risk the wound beginning to bleed again."

The man, what did he say his name was? Aragorn? Hah, I feel sorry for him. He must have had hippie parents. Anyway, the man was sitting a yard or so away from me. His back was against a tree and one arm was resting on his knee, holding a smoking pipe. I lowered my shirt.

I began to sit up and instantly realized that it was a bad idea. My wounded side throbbed. I closed my eyes in pain and inhaled sharply.

"Easy," Aragorn said softly. Suddenly he was beside me, putting a hand on my back and helping me into a sitting position. I took in a deep breath. That's when I noticed a slightly soiled dark colored cloak that had fallen across my legs. I turned around slightly, which Aragorn didn't seem to like at all, and saw something that was rolled up into a pillow. I was trying to figure out whose they were, but my mind was still a bit foggy.

"You were cold." Was all that Aragorn said when he saw me looking about confused. He must have given me the cloak when I was unconscious.

"Thank you," I said quietly. He smiled and slightly bowed his head in a way of acceptance.

"Is anyone up?"

I tore my gaze away from Aragorn and tensed. I didn't know who or what was out there and from what happened, was it yesterday all ready? I really didn't want to find out.

"Those are just some of my companions." I looked back towards Aragorn who smiled at me reassuringly. I wasn't sure if that meant I should be happy or worried. Aragorn seemed to be genuinely kind. Of course, he still was a bit odd, though I couldn't quite figure out why. A part of me wanted to meet his friends. The other half didn't. A tiny voice was beginning to whisper that something was wrong, very wrong, with all of this. But my mind was still too cloudy from my near death experience to really understand what my subconscious was trying so desperately to tell me.

"No." I heard a second voice reply grumpily to the first's question.

"Good," the first voice replied. "Because I'm hungry."

"You're _always_ hungry, Pip." The second voice was starting to sound irritated now. I couldn't see who was talking because the sun had not yet fully risen and the trees cast long shadows on the ground. There were lumps on the ground covered in blankets which I now realized were people who were, or by now trying, to sleep.

"But it's time for breakfast." Whoever was complaining was beginning to get on my nerves. I didn't have a lot of patience at the moment. I was sore, weak, and even if I would never admit it out loud, I was scared.

"_I'll_ make breakfast if you all don't shut up." I heard a soft chuckle and saw that Aragorn was laughing quietly to himself. He was sitting next to me, pipe in his mouth once again.

Two little people sat strait up across camp. At first I thought that maybe they didn't know I was there with how fast they seemed to move. But then in a moment I realized that they were just curious.

"She's awake!" The first one said. He got up and came over to me, another, well, midget following close behind him.

"Peregrine Took," he said, stopping a foot or so away from me, "At your service." And with that he gave a low bow.

"Uh, Cait Reed." I replied a bit unsurely. My confusion seemed to be apparent to all because Peregrine lowered his face close to my ear and said "You're supposed to say 'and you and your families'."

"Oh, right, sorry." I stammered.

"That's ok. You nearly died so I suppose it really doesn't matter what you say today."

"A day off's what Pip means." The second one said.

I smiled. I was beginning to like these two. They didn't seem as somber as Aragorn. Someone was grumbling a ways off and when I looked up to see who it was there were more people milling about then I had realized were even there. Another of the midgets was cooking something over a fire that I swear wasn't there a minute ago. Some other men were packing things into backpacks.

I soon learned that the midget's names were Merry, Pippin, Sam, and Frodo. Up until Frodo I thought that at least they had normal names, even if Meriadoc and Peregrine were a bit old fashioned. But there was a nagging little voice in the back of my mind again when I heard that the midget with the curly black hair was named Frodo.

And I shut that voice up as quickly as I possibly could.

"Here," a long, slender hand was holding out a plate of food to me, "Eat. You will need your strength for the journey ahead."

"Where are we going?" I asked the incredibly tall man. He hesitated, but only for the smallest moment.

"Into the west," he replied. He must have seen me staring at him because he quickly continued. "My name is Legolas of the Woodland Realm."

"Wait." The voice in the back of my mind was beginning to nag me again, much to my dislike. "What did you just say?"

"I see you have never met an elf before," he said good naturedly. Wow, what an understatement that was.

"No," I said quietly. "I haven't."

Under any normal circumstances I would have thought that I had strolled into a freak convention. I mean, things like this don't happen to normal people. But, strangely enough, I believed them all - trusted them even. At least the ones I had met. There were still several people, including a short, stocky fellow with an incredibly sharp ax hanging from his belt, which I hadn't been introduced to yet.

One of them in particular kept looking over towards me, yet he never introduced himself or came close enough so that I could introduce myself to him. I could feel his eyes on me as I ate my bacon and tried not to return his gaze. It was more than a little unsettling to be stared at like that. All of a sudden I was aware of how differently I was dressed. Everyone here looked like they stepped out of some kind of renaissance fair with their tunics and swords and big clunky boots. They probably were expecting me to be in some kind of dress, which I was most definitely not wearing. The….elf must have seen my discomfort and called something out in another language. I looked up and saw Aragorn nod at Legolas before going to the small horse, or maybe it was a large pony, that stood grazing at the edge of the camp.

"Are you finished with your breakfast?" Aragorn asked. He had walked over, the pony trailing behind him.

"Yes," I replied, eyeing the animal suspiciously. I've ridden horses before, my grandparents do have a farm after all. But not a little one like this.

"Good. We will set out then. Cait, you will ride Bill." Bill must be the pony's name. I looked at the little guy. I doubted that he could hold someone at tall as me. I'd be too big for him. I didn't want to crush the poor thing.

"I don't want to trouble you guys at all." I said, placing my empty plate to one side. "I can walk."

"I very much doubt that. Especially since yesterday's episode." Aragorn said, his voice quieter. He must have been referring to my little fainting spell. I simply glared at Aragorn. He didn't seem to have been expecting this because he raised an eyebrow and didn't say anything. I pushed myself off the ground and hissed in pain. Whenever the muscles around the wound moved a searing pain shot up through my side. I took a step forward and wobbled. Once again Aragorn was there, slipping an arm beneath my shoulders for me to lean on.

"I could have got onto Bill by myself." I said, taking another step. But just as I said that my legs gave out. I closed my eyes tightly from the pain. Aragorn was right. I could never walk all the way to … wherever it was that we were going. I could barely take a few steps on my own. No matter what kind of impression I wanted to make, no matter how embarrassed I felt having to rely so heavily upon complete strangers, I couldn't do it by myself.

Strong arms lifted me off the ground. I opened my eyes to see Aragorn holding me. He looked down and our eyes met. For just the briefest moment he stopped and stared. I thought he was going to say something, but then he just put me on top of the horse. I sat there confused for a minute with goose bumps on my arms.

That had been awkward.

Yet for some reason I wanted Aragorn to look at me that way again.

We walked and walked and walked all day long. Actually, they walked and I rode. The pony didn't seem to mind, but I had a feeling that some of the others did. Everything that had been on Bill now had to be carried to the next campsite. They didn't complain openly – at least not a first.

Sam stayed by the pony most of the time and I began to get the feeling the Bill was his. By mid morning we were getting along pretty well. I found out that they were called Hobbits and weren't midgets at all. That's when the little voice in my head couldn't be stopped anymore. I knew where I was. I knew these people even if I had not been introduced to them yet. I knew…but I didn't want to believe. After that I didn't quite feel like talking much. That didn't seem to stop Sam though. He just kept right on talking, telling me first about his family back home and then, seeing as that wasn't improving my mood, began talking about all about plants. What they each were called and what they were used for and really anything else that came to mind.

That's when I learned something else. It was very, very boring to just walk. Sure the scenery was beautiful, but there are only so many times you can look at a tree and say to yourself, 'wow that's beautiful'. Especially if they're all the same tree. So I was very happy when the guy with the pointy hat – which looked absolutely ridiculous – said that it was time to stop for the night.

Sam made the horse stop, since it didn't seem to want to listen to me at all and just kept plodding along, and then went over to where the dwarf Gimli was trying to make a fire. At least I think that's what Sam called him. I looked over Bill's side at the ground. Even though I was only about four feet in the air, it looked like a much longer way down.

* * *

(Aragorn's POV)

I had been gathering some of the packs into a pile when I noticed Sam and Gimli trying to start the fire. I looked about for Cait. Sam had been with her all day. If he was there, where was she? When my eyes found her she was on top of Bill, both legs hanging off to one side. Cait was watching the ground, judging how far away it truly was.

"Cait, wait a moment." By the time I called out it was already too late. Cait was sliding off of Bill's back and there was no stopping. I knew she wouldn't be able to hold herself. Her wound had barely any time to heal. It was most likely going to begin to bleed again, which was the very last thing I wanted. It had been hard enough to staunch the blood flow the first time. I wasn't sure if I would be able to stop the bleeding a second time.

As Cait's feet touched the ground, her knees began to buckle. But I had gotten there in time. She leaned towards me and I caught her against myself. "Are you alright?" She hadn't moved right away as I had expected her to. I was afraid she had wounded herself further. In reality, she was only beginning to feel more comfortable around myself and the others. She was no longer wary in my presence and for that I was glad.

"Yeah," Cait said. "I'm okay." She looked up into my eyes. A pink color came to her cheeks and she pulled away quickly. It was only then that I realized I was holding my breath.

"I need to see how your wound is doing. We had to bandage it quickly last night to stop the bleeding." Cait made a face but nodded and sat. She held the edge of her shirt up just high enough for me to get to her bandage. I unrolled the bandage as gently as I could. Luckily it hadn't stuck to the wound.

Legolas came and sat beside me. A bucket of water that had been warming by the fire was in one hand, a few athelas leaves in the other. I thanked him. Cait was looking warily at the athelas leaves. I had been expecting her to complain as I treated her wound. Most other's I had treated did so, the women more so than the men. Yet Cait said nothing. I thought back to that first conversation we had when I was trying to keep her conscious. A daughter of Kings. Maybe the last one. This was how she was expected to act, if not by others than by her own standards.

"If I may ask," Legolas said, bringing me out of my thoughts, "Do all women in your country dress in this manner? Or do you have special privileges being the princess? Or are you the queen?"

Cait looked at him confusedly for a moment before frowning and turning to me. I froze for a half a second before continuing to clean out the wound with the warm water. "You told him?" She sounded more hurt than angry. At least at first. "Why would you do that? You of all people should know why shouldn't spread things like that around. Besides, I was only half conscious at the time!"

"I am sorry, Cait. You never told me that I shouldn't repeat what you said."

She opened her mouth to yell at me, but thought better of it and closed it. "How many other people did you tell?" She asked more quietly.

"The entire fellowship," Legolas said, trying to stifle a laugh. I looked sideways at him. Legolas quickly fell silent. But a small smile was playing on Cait's lips now.

"Legolas had a good question though. Do all women dress like that?" I couldn't help but be curious. She was so ... odd wasn't the correct word. Different. Not by much, just small ways. Things which I couldn't quite put my finger on. Yet they were still there, tiny differences from other people that intrigued me, but danced just out of my understanding. The clothing though, that was something we would have to rectify the first chance we had. I didn't want others thinking of Cait the way Boromir had the first time he had seen her.

"Yeah, pretty much. Must look weird to you, huh?"

I nodded. Cait seemed to be expecting this, though. "Women in Middle Earth do not usually wear pants or blouses such as the ones you are." Cait looked down at her black shirt and rather tight fitting blue pants. She frowned and looked sideways and Legolas and I.

"Yeah. I get what you mean."

Sometimes decoding Cait's speech was difficult. But at least she knew what I was trying to imply as gently and tactfully as I could. "This may hurt a bit," I warned Cait. I placed one of the leaves into her wound. She clenched her jaw and closed her eyes tightly.

"Can you stop?" It came out as more of a plead than question.

"I'm sorry," I said, trying to be a gently as possible. "It needs to be done. Tell me if the bandages are too tightly wrapped." Cait nodded slightly, but remained silent. A shadow was cast over the three of us as Boromir walked over and looked down.

"How long is the girl traveling with us, Aragorn?" he asked me. Cait looked up and him, the corners of her mouth turned down in the slightest of frowns. Legolas raised an eyebrow but looked to me for a response.

"Cait will be joining us until the time we can make sure that she is returned home safely." He studied me carefully.

"Very well then. As long as you don't get us into any more trouble." It was the first time Boromir had spoken directly to Cait.

"What trouble did I get you in? I was unconscious half the time I've been here." Cait asked bewilderedly.

"You don't think that orcs travel alone, do you?" Cait stared back evenly. "I had to kill the rest of your friend's band before they hurt anyone else. Then we had to wait half a day before moving on and have lost significant time today." Boromir glared at Cait. Tension was building fast. Several of the others had stopped their various activities and were watching the exchange with interest, least of a Gandalf.

"Oh, well, I'm so sorry, your almightiness. I didn't know that nearly dying was such an inconvenience for you. I'll be sure to postpone it next time." I hadn't heard sarcasm on that grand of a scale since the last time I had spoken to the twins, Elladan and Elrohir.

"I am the son of the Stewart of Gondor. You will show me respect." Boromir's voice was angry.

"I only show respect to those who earn it." Cait's voice was stern now, anger beginning to creep in. "So far you haven't done anything except stare at me and insult me. You're going to have to do better than that."

Boromir's glare deepened, a menacing growl, for lack of a better description, emanating from his throat. Cait's hand clenched tightly, knuckles turning white. It was time to step in before swords were drawn. "Boromir, that's enough. You as well, Cait." I looked between the pair. Neither said a word, only watched me. Boromir was still frowning deeply and I feared he was going to continue despite my words. Cait also was silent, but she settled back and folded her arms across her chest in defeat. "Boromir, you have first watch." He only nodded and left.

Cait began looking about for something and then sighed. Gandalf beckoned to Legolas and the elf left us. "Cait," I said quietly. I wanted to talk her and this was as privately as it was going be. "About what happened before we met..." I paused, unsure of how to continue. "If you wish someone to talk with, I am here."

She smiled sweetly at me. "Thanks, Aragorn. I'm okay, though. It's not like anything really happened. You know, aside from the whole kidnapping part. But it's okay. I'm good." Once again it took me more than a few moments to completely understand what it was she was saying, but I nodded eventually.

* * *

(Legolas' POV)

I took watch after Aragorn awoke me in the wee hours of the morning. I wasn't asleep, per se, simply deep in thought. So much so that I was surprised, and yet not surprised, to see Aragorn drape his cloak over Cait's sleeping form. She stopped her slight shivering and pulled the cloak closer about her. Aragorn smiled and watched her for a moment before returning to his mat. He was asleep in only a few minutes, much faster than usual. Normally we would sit and speak together when our watches coincided like this. Yesterday he barely slept, being so worried over Cait and repeatedly checking on and changing her bandages.

The night was still and silent. I was no longer afraid of a goblin attack. It seemed that Boromir had indeed killed all of them and was not simply bragging about his abilities as I first thought. Admition that I had perhaps misjudged just how talented Boromir truly was not out loud, but I was ready to admit it, at least to myself. The night was peaceful once again, as it had been since leaving Rivendell. The only other immediate threat to the company were the Nazgul. Against them there was very little we could do.

But the night was completely still except for some crickets and the sound of a cool breeze rustling the leaves above. Aragorn shivered and rolled over. I shook my head. I was not sure if Aragorn's growing fascination with Cait was curiosity or something more. I was beginning to be inclined to think it was the latter though there was nothing specifically that I could point to for my decision. Perhaps it was my own wishes and desires that was prompting this from me. Perhaps I was pushing them towards each other, now that I think back on those early days. What is done, is done though, and there is no going back on events.

At any rate, I began to sing as the night wore on. It was a slow melody, rather sad at times, and spoke of a love story I had learned as a child. This particular tale wasn't one that was usually sung at the halls of Mirkwood, yet it was something I had learned in my childhood. The melody was what I had been more interested in than the tale itself and it was still one my favorite tunes.

The shadows moved and I stopped singing. Cait was sitting up not far away, looking about confused. As she recognized her surroundings Cait relaxed. "I am sorry if I woke you." I apologized. I had not realized I had been singing loud enough to wake anyone.

"That's okay," Cait said, "You have a nice voice."

"Thank you."

Cait looked about bewilderedly before her eyes focused on the blanket. "Where..." she began, but didn't finish her sentence. She looked sideways to where Aragorn was laying. He was shivering visibly now. I was glad elves did not have to worry about feeling the cold as humans did. Cait rose before I could stop her. She walked to Aragorn and knelt down beside him.

At the very least, this meant that Aragorn's healing skills were beginning to work. Cait was much steadier on her feet than she had been even that morning, and for that I was glad. The only thing we all would need to do was make sure Cait did not overexert herself. She laid the cloak over him and tucked him in as best she could. Aragorn didn't awake. This was the type of thing to which Aragorn would usually awake to, his instincts immediately responding to the change in environment. Yet this time, he did not. This time was different for some reason. And I did not think it was because Aragorn was becoming too lax.

Cait went back to her spot and unrolled the cloak which she had been resting her head on and covered herself back up. Despite her improvements Cait was still favoring her side. Her left arm was not moving as much as her right. She glanced at Aragorn again.

"I believe he is quiet taken with you, Cait." I said, "And if I'm not mistaken I believe you have feelings for him as well." The second part I was more than a little unsure of. But Aragorn had that quality which seemed to make women, if not try to actively pursue him, at least watch from a distance. I was going on a stereotype and little more than a suspicion but I was curious, and perhaps bored with the endless days of walking and trees and growing tension.

Cait froze and only stared at me for several long minutes. This was more of an admission than immediate dismissal of any feelings could be. At least a small part of her was taken with him. "I am glad. He deserves to find love again."

"Again?" Cait asked. "What happened the first time?"

I sighed. The story was no secret though Aragorn had barely spoken of the matter since. It was something which he should have been the one to tell. But I doubted Aragorn would speak of it. I decided to tell only enough for Cait to get the more general understanding of what happened. She still needed to speak of it with Aragorn if and when the time came.

"There were rather unfortunate circumstances. The Lady Arwen of Rivendell was more infatuated than in love. She was to leave for the Gray Havens and a ship across the sea. Aragorn returned the Evenstar to her and things became bitter for both."

Cait didn't say another word, only laid down again. She didn't fall asleep for a long time and when she did it was restless. It was as my watch was ending that I saw Aragorn rise and role up his cloak and place it gently under Cait's head.


	4. Lunch

Reposted.

* * *

_**Safe In Your Arms**_

**Chapter 4**

**Lunch  
**

(Cait's POv)

The day wore on much like the one before. The day after was just the same. I have a feeling that everyone thought that just walking was boring, and not just me, because Gimli started singing, quiet loudly, the third day I was there. I couldn't tell what he was singing because it was in a different language, but I was almost positive that it wasn't supposed to sound that horrible and off pitch.

I saw Legolas grimace and put a hand to his ears. The only reason I hadn't done that already was because I didn't want to be rude to a guy with a huge, sharp ax whom I hadn't been formally introduced to yet.

"Gimli, orcs have more pleasant singing voices than you," Legolas told the dwarf. Gimli stopped singing and glared at Legolas who returned the look all too readily.

"Well, master elf, it's pleasant enough if you're a dwarf. I didn't ask for your opinion. Keep your thoughts to yourself." And with that Gimli began to sing again even louder than before. This time I really did put my hands over my ears. Which was a bad idea because I almost fell off Bill.

"Careful there lass," Gimli said, "Hold onto his reigns."

"I know what to do." I snapped back at him. Jeez, did he think I was stupid or something? "But I'd rather fall off than hear you sing anymore."

Gimli merely glared at me and muttered something about me being like the elf under his breath. I couldn't quite catch what he said but the hobbits did and they began laughing. Gimli and Legolas began throwing insults at each other soon after. It began with singing but after a bit covered everything from family lineage to something about breaking out of prison. At that point I wasn't even trying to follow anymore.

Slowly the scenery changed. More rocks were littering the ground. Trees began to thin in spots, leaving little clearings where daylight could actually be seen. The company enjoyed this, because we seemed to slow down when we got to a section like that. Soon Aragorn fell back and took Bill's reigns from Sam, allowing him to wander off with the other hobbits.

Aragorn looked at me and then looked away again. He glanced at me a second time, but again didn't say anything.

"Can I help you?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow. I didn't know if he was just staring, which, now that Legolas had suggested it, I caught him doing, or if he was trying to ask me something. I wanted it to be the first one. I wasn't ready to answer any questions about where I was from. Unfortunately that is exactly what he had in mind.

"Cait," Aragorn began, searching for the right words, "I have spoken with Gandalf. He is much wiser and more learned than I. Yet, even he has never heard of anywhere called Wales." I figured it was useless to try and convince him again that I lived in the United States now and that I wasn't a princess or queen or whatever it is that they keep going on about. "There is no Wales in any of the known world. If you do not mind a personal question, how did you get here?"

"Yeah, about that…" I paused, unsure of what to say. What was I going to say? I had no idea what happened myself. Anything I told him would sound either like a lie or that I was insane, which I was beginning to think was true. "I was walking through the woods in back of my grandparent's house, trying to get as far away from Creepy as possible. I got lost, was found by an orc and then you." Aragorn stared at me, waiting for me to continue. "That's it. That's all that happened."

Aragorn frowned. "Are you positive that nothing else happened? Something that you possible have overlooked? Anything, however small it might seem, could be important." Aragorn seemed concerned, more so than usual. He was always worried about something.

I thought for a moment. But that was all there was. Nothing else happened. I ran away, deeper and deeper into the forest. Then that orc showed up followed by Aragorn. "That's it. That's all that's happened." I told him. I opened my mouth to ask if I could get home. But something stopped me. Maybe it was because Gimli started singing again. Maybe it was because Aragorn's grey eyes were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

He knew what the question was however. Aragorn looked at me sadly and shook his head. "We cannot return you to your home until we learn how it is that you got here in the first place." I nodded.

"I know." Silence fell between us. I tried not to look over at him. But I glanced at him again. I didn't tear my eyes away fast enough because he turned back towards me, catching me watching him. I could feel my cheeks warming up and hoped that I wasn't actually blushing.

How stereotypical is that?

"Let us rest here for a while." Gandalf turned us away from where we had been heading and down to an outcropping of some dark, almost black, colored rock that I swear hadn't been there a minute ago. I hadn't even realized that we were on a mountain.

"Can we eat?" Pippin said. "I'm hungry." I rolled my eyes. He's always complaining about that. Although, that usually meant food was served in a timely fashion, even if it was only because no one wanted to hear Pippin complain endlessly.

Aragorn stopped Bill, though I could have done it myself. I guess he was trying to be gentlemanly or something. I swung my leg over Bill's side. Aragorn put one hand around my waist, the side that hadn't been cleaved in two. I rested my hands on his shoulders as Aragorn lowered me to the ground.

"Thank you." I said quietly, looking up at him.

"You're welcome." We stared at each other for a minute, neither of us saying a word to the other.

"Cait, can you help me with supper? Merry and Pippin have run off again and I don't think the others will help." Sam stopped a few paces away when he saw how close Aragorn and I were to each other.

"Of course, Sam." I reluctantly let go of Aragorn and followed Sam to the fire that once again seemed to have popped out of the ground. The hobbit handed me a pile of potatoes and knife to cut them with. He grabbed some meat and threw it into a pot. I had no idea where the meat came from or what animal it used to be. I didn't ask either. Sometimes it was just better not knowing these things.

"I'm terribly sorry for interrupting you and Aragorn back there." Sam said somewhat uncomfortably.

"Don't worry about it." I replied. Sam and I were on good terms since he was the one usually leading Bill if Aragorn was talking with Gandalf or Legolas. Sam just looked at me curiously probably wondering if there was anything going on between Aragorn and me - which I was wondering myself.

We ate lunch, which was pretty good if I do say so myself, and rested for a bit. We had to practically tie Gimli down. He was all overexcited about something but wouldn't shut up long enough for me to ask what about. Gandalf seemed quieter and more brooding than the past two days. Not that I've talked to him all that much. Legolas was also looking uncomfortable. I couldn't help but wonder if there was something going on that they weren't telling me. Boromir would probably like that.

* * *

(Aragorn's POV)

"How is your side fairing?" I asked Cait. The wound was beginning to close and was looking better. However, that doesn't always mean it feels any better. Cait shrugged, looked about and, upon seeing no one close by us, answered honestly. Up until this point she had always given an answer such as 'fine' or 'alright'. We knew this was not so, but arguing against it did nothing as Sam found out the night before.

"Better than yesterday. It doesn't hurt as much." She said. Cait smiled at me, but as she stood I saw her hand go to her side. Perhaps the wound was not as painful as before, but it still caused her pain when she moved. I sighed. The journey ahead was long and arduous. Cait could not ride Bill forever, and that time was coming quickly. I was worried she would not be able to keep up the pace the Fellowship needed. If that happened I was not sure what Gandalf would do. While he would never leave a wounded woman alone for the carrion there were other more important matters he had to worry about. Matters such as Frodo and the Ring.

Gimli was trying to clean up from our lunch as quickly as possible. Legolas, who was still disgruntled over their earlier argument, only sat by idly, watching the dwarf bustle about. Cait made her way over to the elf and sat down next to him. The hobbits were practicing their sparring with Boromir. Frodo, however, wasn't watching Boromir as he taught them technique. He was staring at Gandalf who sat a little ways apart from us. The great wizard sat alone smoking his pipe. For once he didn't seem to notice that he was being watched, or else didn't care. Frodo frowned and, upon seeing me, came over.

"Aragorn," he said, unsure of how to put his feelings into words. "I thought... I thought going through the mines would be the fastest way, but now...now I am not so sure."

He was looking to me for guidance, as they all did. Not for the first time I wasn't sure what advice to give my hobbit friend. In truth, there was no good way to go. From here on out we were unsafe. Mordor loomed ever closer, yes. But there were other dangers as well. Sauruman blocked off our route through the mountains. Going by the road was no safer. Sauruman would be looking for us there as well, perhaps sending his agents to apprehend us on the path. Even though the West Road led straight for Gondor it would neither be safe nor the quickest path. The only other way lead through the mines of Moria. Those once glorious halls were empty now. All that was down there was darkness and shadows. Goblins roamed those halls along with older, more evil creatures half remembered in tales of old.

Gandalf had spoken of this to me once. After that not a word was said of the matter again. Not even when I had questioned him the night before. All the wizard would say was that he would follow where the Ringbearer led. If Frodo heard that I fear he would have panicked. He didn't know the country or the roads at all. Only what he had heard from Bilbo's adventures and our own tales by the campfire. It had been Frodo Gandalf looked to when we had all been arguing on the top of the mountain, half frozen to death about what to do next. Frodo had chosen to pass through the mines and that was where we were going.

"There is no better way. We can pass through Moria in three days if we are lucky."

"Gandalf is worried." Frodo frowned. He had known Gandalf his entire life. Of course he could tell. It had been foolish for me to think that no one else had noticed this change. "Merry said he is always worried about something, and I know that is true. Still..." Frodo trailed off, his eyes wandering once again to where the wizard sat alone.

"He knows what he is doing. All we can do is trust in him." I am not sure if I said this more for Frodo's benefit or my own. I sat and pulled out my pipe. There was only a very little bit of tobacco left, but I decided to use it anyway. We would not be able to do so when we were in the mines. Any smoke would give away our presence. I sat on a boulder and watched Boromir spar with Merry.

I glanced to my other side where Legolas and Gimli were happily ignoring each other. Cait was looking off a ways. I followed her gaze. It was Gandalf she was looking at with a small frown. I glanced back to her, to be sure, but then she was speaking with Legolas about one matter or another. I frowned. Perhaps it was nothing, but then again. Cait had been watching him with an almost sad look. She had barely spoken to the wizard, which was more than a little odd. Usually people wanted to speak with Gandalf until he had to make excuses to leave. They wanted to hear all about his long life and numerous adventures. Yet she didn't seek Gandalf out to talk with her on the trail or when we stopped for camp.

I don't think the others noticed this. If they did, no one thought it was odd, or at least mentioned it aloud. I wasn't going to say anything, especially if no one else brought the subject up first. If I was going to speak of it at all, it was going to be to Cait herself. But there were enough things to worry about for now. Just making it past the mines undetected was going to be work enough.


	5. The Gates of Moria

Reposted

* * *

_**Safe In Your Arms**_

**Chapter 5**

**The Gates of Moria**

(Cait's POV)

We didn't go very far until we reached a steep sloped filled with dirt and loose rocks. I stopped Bill. It was too steep for me to have been comfortable riding even if I wasn't hurt and atop my own horse back home. Aragorn once again gave me an arm to lean on as I got off Bill. The little pony looked at me a moment before nickering and following Sam as he started the long descent. I gave the hill a dirty look for sneaking up on me like this. I wasn't sure if I was ready for this yet. Normally, I'm not terribly coordinated. Even on the best of days I'd go around this hill at all costs. But everything else seemed to be a cliff face or an even worse slope down. This was the only way.

When I looked up again Aragorn was still standing beside me silently. Part of me was happy he waited, the other part wanted to prove I could do it myself. I began walking more slowly than normal. But I was happy I was doing it myself, at the very least. I was doing fine. At least I thought I was until I lost my footing. Rocks slid from the dry earth beneath me in little cloud of dust. My feet went out from under me. Frantically, I grabbed onto the closest thing to me, which just happened to be Aragorn.

I was lucky I had reached out with my left arm, even though that was the side which was hurt. If I grabbed onto the person on my right it would have been Boromir. The two of us have been happily ignoring each other since our little episode in camp and I'd hate to have ruined that.

"Steady," Aragorn brought me back up to my feet. I held onto him for another moment as I steadied myself. I took a deep breath as pain shot through my side. "Do you need help?" Aragorn asked quietly.

"I can manage." I wasn't sure if that was entirely true. I hadn't walked at really, at least not for this long, since I was wounded. Up until this point no one had let me. When Aragorn and Legolas were not paying attention, Sam had taken it upon himself to make sure I was doing as I was supposed to. I took another deep breath and the pain began to subside. Before now I hadn't realized how many muscles it took to walk. I swear I will never take it for granted again.

Boromir was watching me sideways, not really trying to be discreet. I wanted to do it on my own. I had to. Even if it was only because I wasn't going to give that bastard the satisfaction of seeing me weakened. Not if I could help it, at least. I don't think Aragorn had noticed this. If he did, he didn't let on.

Merry kept slipping as well, much to everyone's amusement. At least it was him they were cracking jokes at and not me. I had an excuse. Actually, I was faring much better than he was. The hobbit was just clumsy. Of course it didn't help that Pippin then started to try and trip him up. Boromir lost interest in me when this started and moved towards the rest of the group.

I tripped again and it hurt. Badly. This time Aragorn didn't have as much time to catch me. My right foot slid out in front of me. I twisted to my left reaching wildly for something to grab hold of. My right hand I stretched out behind me to catch my fall. I was sure my side was going to hit the ground and began bracing myself for the pain. But then I stopped, dangling several inches from the ground. It was Aragorn's hand I had caught hold of this time.

But that didn't quite register at first. I looked down at the ground which had betrayed me twice now. Aragorn hauled me back to my feet as quickly as he could. I swayed for a second. Pain blinded me momentarily. Even though I didn't hit the ground, my side hurt just as badly as it did when Aragorn put those leaves in it.

"Can you walk?" Aragorn asked. I closed my eyes willing the pain away. But it wasn't working. Not this time. The best I could do was grin and bear it.

"I think so." I said quietly. I took one tentative step forward. Then another. It wasn't until Aragorn began taking his hand out of my grasp that I even knew what I was holding.

"Don't let go," I told him. I was terrified of falling down the hill. I knew that I wouldn't be able to catch myself again. It was only by sheer dumb luck that I hadn't injured myself further. I wrapped my right arm around my stomach and held my wound. Aragorn was watching me, trying to keep the worry out of his eyes, but not quite succeeding.

"I won't let you fall." Aragorn whispered back. He put his hand back in mine, grasping it tightly. I would have enjoyed that if I hadn't been concentrating so hard on walking.

By now we had fallen behind the rest. Frodo kept glancing back every few seconds to make sure we were still following. I kept my eyes on the ground, watching the rocks that rolled past with every sluggish step I took. The ground began to level off and I nearly jumped for joy. The only thing that stopped me was my injury. I looked up again and saw a huge cliff face in front of us. Gandalf was already standing in front of it, staring at something that those of us of lesser brain power couldn't see. I looked over to my right and saw a large pool of water, flat as glass and as dark as the stone surrounding.

Crap.

If this was supposed to be the mines of Moria, I was quitting. I don't think that I actually believed that this was all real until I saw those cliffs looming in front of me. It was too easy to ignore things. It was too easy to pretend that this wall as some sort of dream. But the bandage under my t-shirt was real. The hand I was holding was real too. I knew the dangers that lurked behind those doors. It had been a long time since I had watched the movies, and an even longer time since I had read the books. But some things stay with you.

If I hadn't been scared before, I certainly was now.

"Are you alright, Cait?" I hadn't realized I'd stopped moving until Aragorn had spoken. Aragorn stopped a little ways away from the others. "I do not believe that your pale face is from your wound. If it is, my skills as a healer are failing me." He searched my face worriedly. I wasn't going to tell him that my wound was really hurting. It would only make him even more worried, though I don't know if that was even possible.

"No, no. It isn't that." I still think they all talk funny. But they've got to be saying the same thing about me behind my back. I think I even caught Gimli at it once. "I… I'm claustrophobic." Aragorn smiled down at me softly.

So it wasn't the whole truth. Shoot me. But it was enough. I really am claustrophobic. I didn't particularly relish the thought of being forced underground. But my claustrophobia wasn't what was bothering me at the time. There were worse things than being trapped alive underneath a mountain. I could be trapped under the mountain dead.

"The mines are no ordinary caves. They will be more like an underground city than normal mines." He paused a moment, staring over my head to where Gandalf was tapping the stone wall. His shoulders relaxed. After a few moments Aragorn began to speak again. "I am fearful too. But it is not the mines themselves that worry me." Aragorn looked anxiously at the mines. I looked up at him worriedly. Aragorn wasn't the sort of person to be afraid over nothing.

"What's wrong?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

"The most immediate worry is for you." I just looked at him confused. I thought that orcs and … what was that big flame guy called again? Oh yeah. A balrog. I thought that both of those were much more important than me. "We cannot take Bill into the mines. It's no place for a pony like him. That means you will have to walk."

Aragorn was looking into my eyes so intently that I think he could see right into my soul.

"I'll be ok." I said unsurely. I hadn't really thought of that at all. I knew I was lying to myself. So did Aragorn, for he frowned slightly. "I'll have to walk slow. And we might need to stop more often than Gandalf likes. But I'll make it."

Aragorn looked at me in disbelief. He didn't seem to believe a word I said, and I have to admit I thought it sounded pretty sketchy myself. I would get to the other side. I had to if I wanted to survive. But it wasn't going to be that easy. "Besides," I continued, "I'll have you there to catch me, right?"

Aragorn finally smiled at me. I smiled in return. "Of course. I'll be by your side the whole time." He stroked the back of my hand with his thumb. Then, as if on cue, Gimli's voice rang out clear across the quiet lake.

"See that, elf? I told you dwarf craftsmanship was the best there is."

Aragorn and I both turned to see a large archway glowing out of the rocky wall face. Aragorn dropped my hand and we began making our way over to them.

"Why does this always happen?" I muttered under my breath. Aragorn laughed quietly behind me.

We had a small dinner outside the entrance to Moria. Gandalf didn't eat anything, only stared at the enchanted doorway and tried various ways of opening it. I doubt he even knew Gimli had made a fire and Sam was cooking some sort of dried meat that I didn't want to ask about. Aragorn kept looking between the mountain and the lake that was much too still. There wasn't so much as ripple. The quiet was eerie.

I watched as Sam said goodbye to Bill and sent him on his way home. It was sad and sweet at the same time. The horse only plodded along slowly the way we had come, as if it knew where it was supposed to go. Once it looked back, and I swear Sam sniffled and had tears in his eyes. But I understood. It was more than his pet, it was his friend. And he didn't want to say goodbye.

Gandalf, however, was using a bit stronger language than was necessary. He had been trying different ways to get that door open for what felt like hours. I couldn't tell what he was saying but from the looks that Legolas was giving him I'd bet that it was Elvish and not all of it was PG.

"It's useless," he finally muttered, and sat back on a large boulder, staring up at the door that refused to admit us. Frodo and Legolas exchange looks. Frodo didn't know enogh elvish to be much of a help, and Legolas didn't know what else there was to try after Gandalf's long hours of attempting to let us into the dark halls of Moria.


	6. The Watcher in the Lake

_**Safe In Your Arms**_

**Chapter 6**

**The Watcher in the Lake**

(Aragorn's POV)

There was a splash in the calm waters of the lake. I looked to my right and saw Pippin skipping stones on the glassy surface of the lake. The hobbit picked up another smooth, flat stone and sent it flying over the water. Four times it bounced over the surface before sliding under without a sound. How long had this been going on? I wondered. I would have put a stop to it immediately had I noticed sooner.

"Pippin," I called out. He paused and looked at me. I shook my head.

"What?" He shrugged. "We have to do something to pass the time."

Bubbles began to come to the surface of the lake and more ripples formed, which quickly turned into small waves which broke at Pippin's feet. The hobbit backed up a few paces, eyes growing wide. Suddenly a monstrous head filled with razor sharp teeth and huge tentacles broke the surface. Pippin screamed, followed closely by Cait, both of whom scrambled backwards. A long tentacle shot towards Pippin with unnatural speed, grabbing him round the middle.

I had already risen had my sword drawn. I was also closest to the shore line. When a second tentacle whipped at me from behind I only had enough time brace my fall. The strength which the Watcher hit me with sent me skidding across the stony shore a few feet before stopping the water. I looked up and saw Legolas jump over another incoming tentacle. He let out two arrows in one shot. The creature did nothing, not so much as blink, when the arrows hit him square.

Pippin screamed as he was flung back and forth through the air. I rushed forward, Boromir at my heels. I slashed and defended Boromir and myself as he tried to cut off the tentacle which held Pippin. Legolas danced in and out of range of the creature. Gimli gave a war cry and hacked off a tentacle in one blow. It roared in pain, thrashing wildly for several seconds before it resumed its attack with renewed vigor.

Merry ran forward, his short sword drawn, stood beside Gimli, trying to defend him. Gimli caught his eye and nodded his approval, which boosted Merry's confidence tenfold. Gandalf shouted something and pushed Frodo and Sam back towards Cait in an attempt to keep them from the battle. None of them seemed to be particularly happy at being kept out of the fighting.

"Catch him!" Legolas shouted as Gimli cut off the arm holding Pippin. Gimli didn't have enough time to react though. Had he put out his arms to catch the screaming hobbit, Pippin would have been impaled on his axe. I was closest. I threw my sword towards the shoreline hoping that it was caught and extended my arms to catch Pippin. He landed heavily and I tossed him towards the shore next. Gandalf was handing my sword to Cait who took it with some difficulty in her right hand.

* * *

(Cait's POV)

Pippin seemed a bit dazed so I ran forward, as well as I could while holding the sword and my wound, and tried to drag him back. "Come on, Pippin," I said, nearly kicking him. He finally began to move out of harm's way.

The monster gave an almighty roar and reared out of the water. The color drained from everyone's face. Aragorn had taken Legolas' bow and quiver and had taken his place shooting at the eyes. He was the only thing not moving. Gimli and Boromir danced around the tentacles. Legolas tried to climb toward the head in order to stab the creature in the one vital point that could be seen. Frodo, Sam, and Gandalf tried to knock the tentacles back from the shoreline. But the creature was beginning to gain ground.

Pippin and I backed up until our backs hit the rock cliff. I looked up and behind me. The Gates of Moria were closed, glowing brightly as ever. Pippin looked up. His eyes grew wide, realization dawning on his face.

"It's a riddle," he said slowly. "But what's the answer, do you think?" he glanced at me and then back at the elvish lettering, trying to work it out as quickly as possible. But it wasn't quick enough.

I glanced back at the others who were fighting the monster in time to see Aragorn get smacked and tossed aside for a second time. He rose slower this time, Legolas having to jump down and strike and the tentacle who that was coming round for a second swipe. I think that was the last straw with me. We didn't seem to be winning against the slimy thing. If anything we were losing. And the gate wasn't even opened yet. The lake and monster were blocking our only other escape route. I knew that there were more dangers down there than on the surface right now, but the way things were going I was pretty sure it wouldn't be long until someone got eaten by the monster.

"Melon!" I shouted. I was almost positive that I didn't use the correct pronunciation. But the gate didn't seem to mind and swung inward slowly with a rumble and grating noise.

"Get in!" Gandalf shouted. Everyone ran, or sloshed rather, to the gate, scrambling inside as quickly as possible. I couldn't see very far in and didn't look, partly because I already knew what would be there and partly because I was more worried that the monster had swallowed someone. Like Aragorn and Legolas, who were the last in the line running away from the monster.

Gandalf began fishing for something in his robes. The others ran away from the monster, grabbed our packs and into the mines as quickly as possible. The monster roared again and dragged itself out of the water by clinging to the rocks on the shore. Gandalf put some kind of stone in his staff. Light issued forth from it, illuminating the detailed craftsmanship of the mine … along with skeletons littering the ground. I didn't look at them, but at the faces of those around me. Horror and fear shone in the eyes of everyone, even those who normally were so calm in the face of danger. None of us knew whether to go forward or back. There wasn't a right answer. No way was safe.

The monster made the decision for us, however. It grabbed onto the frame of the Gates and the doors themselves, which quickly buckled under the pressure. We were completely closed in now. For a moment I could feel the panic so familiar with claustrophobia rise in me. I swallowed, pushing it back down. At least for the time being.

"We have no choice but to face the dark halls of Moria." Gandalf said solemnly, stepping around a skeleton. "Keep close and keep quiet."

We all began moving forward. I hung at the back. I didn't want to face their questions. I didn't want to see the twisted faces of the dead. I didn't want to think about what was to come. For the first time since showing up here I wanted to go home.

That is until Aragorn was walking silently by my side. Then I realized that despite everything I wanted to be right where I was. Next to Aragorn.

We climbed a staircase, which seemed much longer than it actually was. I began panting half way up and concentrated on the ground beneath me. I was moving slower than I thought possible. Aragorn slipped an arm under my shoulders.

"Lean on me," he said. I did, and we began moving faster. I heard laughing from in front of me. Then someone let out quite a colorful curse. I think it was Boromir, actually. Then everyone laughed louder. I couldn't help but wonder what they were doing. I thought we were supposed to keep quiet, like Gandalf had just said. I couldn't see them because there was a corner that everyone turned as soon as they got up the staircase.

"What are they doing up there?" I asked Aragorn.

"I don't know." He replied. We reached the landing and I tried to put more weight on my side. It didn't hurt as much, though I wasn't sure how long I would be able to keep the pace. We turned the corner and there, leaning on a ledge projecting from the wall was a skeleton. I couldn't tell if it was dwarf or orc. Mail still hung off its shoulders. An arrow was lodged right in the chest, and another in one of his eye sockets. His mouth was still twisted in the last scream he gave in life.

I was too scared to scream. All I did was turn around as fast as possible and bury my face in Aragorn's chest. He wrapped one arm around my back, drawing me closer to himself. The other hand moved to my head and stroked my hair comfortingly.

"Couldn't you have warned us about that?" Aragorn asked, the annoyance very clear in his voice. I still had my face buried in Aragorn's shirt, but I hope they had guilty looks on their faces.

"I'm sorry," Legolas said, trying to keep the mirth from his voice. "It was an opportunity that I couldn't resist."

Aragorn went to speak again but I beat him to it.

"That's ok." I said, picking my head up, and turning around slightly. "I probably would have done the same thing to you if I had the chance." Everyone laughed, Gandalf included.

"Come. We must walk farther before we can sleep." Gandalf told the company, resuming his usual sober mood. Everyone began walking again.

"That was a cruel trick." Aragorn said. He was watching the others walk slowly down the corridor with his arms still wrapped around me.

"It's alright. It was meant in fun."

Aragorn looked down at me again and shook his head slightly. "What's meant in fun can end in bad memories and tormented dreams." He looked at me concernedly.

"As long as I have you here I don't think my dreams will be so tormented. Besides, you can help me through it if they are, right?" I said honestly. I didn't like this place. I didn't trust it. And I knew that, sooner or later, the claustrophobia was going to come back.

"Always," Aragorn said softly, smiling. We were still so close. He still had his arms wrapped around me. And I still had my hand against his chest, leaning on him slightly to take weight off my left side.

He leaned down and I stood up on my toes. Our lips met, as they had longed to do so many times before. This time we weren't interrupted though. Aragorn hadn't shaved in a while and his beard tickled my face. But his lips were so soft. I closed my eyes and melted into that kiss. Aragorn slid his hands down to my waist to pull me closer but as his hand closed around my wound I hissed in pain and pulled away without thinking.

"I'm so sorry, Cait." He said, worry in his voice again. "I haven't hurt you, have I?"

"No. It's fine. Just don't do that again." I smiled up at him and Aragorn seemed to calm down.

"As much as I would like to continue this here," he began, "the light from Gandalf's staff is fading. We should follow before we are left behind."

The light was indeed fading. They hadn't even noticed we weren't following anymore. "Yeah, I guess." I said. I turned reluctantly and began to walk toward Gandalf's magic rock thing. Aragorn said nothing. I was walking on my own now, slowly, but walking all the same. Just as I began thinking that maybe Aragorn regretted kissing me he spoke.

"I hope you don't think I'm to forward. I wouldn't want to ruin this for the world." I paused and looked at him. Aragorn's worried eyes betrayed his otherwise calm features.

"What?" I asked him. What was he going on about now?

"I've only known you a few days. Most women would have slapped me for kissing them back there no matter how much they might have ... liked me." Aragorn finished a bit awkwardly.

"I'm not most women, though. Am I?" I asked him, arching an eyebrow and what I thought was odd behavior. Seriously, if I didn't like him, he would have known about it by now. Just look at Boromir and I. Aragorn smiled at me and slipped one of his large hands into one of my smaller ones.

"Legolas was right," Aragorn said more to himself than me a few minutes later.

"About what?" I asked.

"I was afraid that my affection was one sided." Aragorn said, clearly uncomfortable speaking about this new development in our relationship. Especially with so many prying ears around.

"That's funny. I had a similar conversation with him." By this time we had caught up with the rest of the company. They must have slowed down for us because I was definitely not walking any faster.

"You both simply needed a push out the door." Legolas said without turning around.

"Keep your elf ears to yourself," Gimli said. "Leave the young lovebirds alone."

I glanced up at Aragorn and was glad to see that I wasn't the only one who had gained a little extra color to my cheeks.


	7. In Unlikely Places

_**Safe In Your Arms**_

**Chapter 7**

**In Unlikely Places**

(Cait's POV)

It was dark underground. Even with Gandalf lighting the way I couldn't see very far ahead. I looked into the darkness before me, trying not to pay attention to the walls and ceiling locking me underground. Aragorn had been right, though. This wasn't any ordinary mine. It was huge.

But that still didn't mean I had to like it. It was still a cave and I was still locked underground.

Occasionally the light from Gandalf's staff would glint off gems or mithril embedded in the mine's walls, illuminating our surrounds for a few brief seconds. Then the light would disappear, leaving us in near total darkness once again. No one spoke. There were some urgent whispers exchanged in hushed tones. Nothing more. Gandalf wouldn't let us drink from the little steams and pools we came across. If the goblins didn't poison them, the rotting flesh of the dead certainly did. We would have to rely on our own small supply of water for the three day journey through Moria.

Aragorn still clasped my hand in his. As we ventured further my side began to ache. The aching quickly turned to pain, and I found myself leaning more than a little on Aragorn. The heavier I leaned on him the more worried he became. But there wasn't anything either of us could do. Not now at least. When we stopped in a mining shaft I was grateful, even if the drop off the walkway was straight down. The bottom was farther than Gandalf's light could penetrate. Good thing I wasn't afraid of heights.

But we weren't resting.

There was a three foot gap between the walkway we were currently on and the doorway that led out. I leaned against the wall, panting slightly, my breath rising in little puffs of steam. The farther underground we went the colder it was becoming.

Legolas leapt over the gap with ease. Gandalf followed. Frodo stumbled as he landed on the other side. He looked down toward the abyss into which he nearly fell before scrambling back to the doorway, looking frightened. Gimli hopped over the gap, grumbling a bit as Legolas made a comment to low for me to hear. Pippin and Merry jumped over together, Sam following on their heels.

Gandalf waved me over next. I gulped.

I didn't look down again. I tried not to think of how far I'd fall if I missed. Holding my breath, I jumped. Somehow I managed to get to the other side. One foot slipped, dangling hundreds of feet in midair. Gandalf grabbed hold of me, keeping me from losing my balance and falling. I tried to regain my balance, made harder by the pain shooting through the wound. I grimaced. Gandalf looked to Legolas who helped me limp towards the wall, allowing room for Aragorn to jump across. The elf took off his cloak and clasped it around my own neck.

"I need it not," he said so softly I wasn't sure if I heard it at all. I half smiled at him, pulling the edges of the cloak closer around me. I really wasn't dressed for this kind of thing at all.

At first I thought the noise was an echo. Then the footsteps began to continue when we were still, far longer than a normal echo would allow. No one mentioned it. Sometimes one of us would turn our heads, searching for the source, only to find that it was nowhere in sight. It was like being cornered in a fish in a bowl, watched and observed, every movement followed with nothing you could do to stop it.

Gollum was following. Gandalf knew. He always does. But the rest didn't. Boromir starting mumbling about orcs, but Gimli hushed him quickly.

"Can we stop now?" I asked after a while, trying not to sound like a whiney five-year-old. To hell with secrecy and silence. I was tired, hungry, and my side hurt badly. The entire fellowship stopped moving. They watched me as I held my side, panting. Apparently they had forgotten that today was the first time I had walked on my own in days. I didn't know how much longer I could keep up with the others.

"We must find another place in which to make camp," Gandalf said, beginning the trek once again. At least he looked sorry for the forced march. Still, that didn't help matters much.

I gritted my teeth and kept walking. No use complaining. Things would only get worse before they got better. There were still two days until we got out. I was lucky Aragorn cared so much. If it wasn't for him half carrying me I don't think I would have been able to move any farther.

* * *

(Aragorn's POV)

When Gandalf finally said we could stop it must have been some time in the night, well beyond when we normally would have made camp and supper. I let Cait down gently. She closed her eyes and breathed heavily, leaning against one wall. The pain she was in must have been great for her to care so little about who saw her in that state. Gimli was beside her in a moment, and it was only because of that I went to Gandalf when he beckoned.

"I dare not stay here long." He said, glancing down a long tunnel I was sure he was not planning on traveling. "Still, our company is tired, Cait not least of all. We will have watches tonight."

"I don't care what you say, Gimli son of Gloin." The voice of Cait interrupted the question I had been about to ask Gandalf. We both turned and looked at the woman and dwarf. "I don't want to go down any farther. We should go up. You know, towards daylight. Away from deep dark pits, and teeny caves, and walls that try to crush you when you aren't looking."

Gimli raised an eyebrow incredulously. "You are afraid of being underground?" The dwarf didn't seem to be able to grasp the concept at all.

"Think so?" Pippin asked sarcastically, sounding a bit like Cait. He sat next to Cait and watched her try not to panic.

"Just close your eyes and keep breathing." Legolas said, sitting on her other side. "I do not like being underground either. I prefer trees."

Gandalf shook his head at the argument we knew was about to follow. It was not the first time Legolas and Gimli had argued about mines verses forests. Surely it would not be last. If even these last few minutes meant anything, it was going to be a very long night indeed.

I walked towards them and Pippin moved to sit next to Frodo so I could be next to Cait. Was it that obvious? I had thought not. But the way they were acting ... I suppose it was much more obvious than I had first thought.

Cait leaned her head on my shoulder almost as soon as I sat. I stiffened slightly and Cait opened her eyes again, though she didn't move. "Do ya mind? I'm just so tired..." she trailed off, eyes beginning to close once again.

"Sleep," I said softly. Cait pulled the cloak Legolas had given her around her closer.

"Don't you want supper?" Pippin asked, unable to fathom sleep before a meal.

"Too tired to eat." She mumbled into my shirt. I glanced up at Gandalf who was watching her, a look of worry growing across his face.

"Perhaps I should slow our pace. At least for the time being." he said, pulled out his pipe and began smoking.

I do not know when it was that I fell asleep. We had only some stale bread and dried meat as a meal before watches were begun. Mine was not for several hours. I awoke when Legolas put a hand on my shoulder and sat beside me.

"_It is your watch, my friend._" He said in elvish. Legolas smiled. I looked groggily towards where he was looking. My arm had fallen around Cait, who was curled into my side, sleeping soundly. One of her arms was about my waist. "_This, Aragorn, is what it is like to love and not worry or fear consequences, or not have any amount of shame or apprehension of your feelings._"

I didn't say anything. Legolas only smiled. I forget sometimes that he is nearly one thousand years older than I. I knew what and whom he was talking about. I knew this was different. I knew this was ... I sighed. "_It is good, I think, to be done with secrecy and fear of repercussions._"

Legolas looked down at Cait. His eyes flickered back up at me. He knew I was thinking of Arwen, if, had she been here instead of Cait, how things would be different. Legolas shook his head. "_It was Luthien's unrelenting spirit you were looking for. Not her grace or her voice or her beauty. It was the one thing Arwen could not give you._"

I nodded. It was true. I smiled. "_And yet, I believe I have found what it was I was searching for. And in the most unlikely of places._"

Cait stirred in my arms. "Shut up and go back to sleep." She nestled deeper into my arms and, a moment later, was fast asleep once again.

* * *

(Cait's POV)

"I don't like here," Sam said. "I wish we could just move on."

"I don't like it either, Sam. But until Gandalf remembers the way the only thing to do is wait." I told him. I didn't like this place any more than Sam did, maybe even less. It was the third day in Moria.

I kept glancing over at Gandalf as if he were about to vanish before my eyes at any moment. He stared at the three stairways leading down further into the depths of Moria, puffing away on a long, thin pipe. We had been sitting here for some time now. All of us were growing nervous. It was only Gandalf who had made it clear across the mines before and only he could lead us out. If and when he stopped being lost, that is.

I hadn't talked all day, something that the others had noticed. This was mostly from the growing ache in my side. The less I talked, the more strength I had later when all I wanted to do was sit and Gandalf half dragged me deeper and deeper into Moria. And we were still going down! The only person who seemed to share my fears was Legolas. Gimli had laughed at us the other day as we trekked on. He had been helping me, Legolas that is, and we were both looking at the walls as if they were about to close in on us.

Aragorn was whispering with Legolas about one thing or another. Gimli was sitting with the hobbits chatting softly. Boromir, much to my annoyance decided that since I was alone, it was a good time to resume the game we had continued yesterday – pester Cait until she breaks.

"What do you want this time, majesty?" I asked, making sure not to look directly at Boromir who was hovering over me.

"Just to ask you a simple question. I believe you can do that one thing for me, princess?" I pursed my lips, turning my head just enough to see a hard, stony look in his eye. It was different than looks he had given before. It wasn't annoyance or anger. It was distrust. But what did I ever do to him?

"Even if I have the answer, it doesn't mean that I will tell it to you." Okay, maybe that wasn't the best choice of responses but I wasn't in the best of moods.

"Such as your display at the Gates?" He narrowed his at me. I opened my mouth but nothing came. I really had no idea what to say that wasn't going to make this any worse than it already was.

I probably shouldn't have started with him. But I did and it was too late now to take anything back. Reflex action, what can I say? I didn't expect his response. Neither did the others, though they were more than a little interested to hear what I would say in response. All eight of the others turned to face me. They all wanted an answer. It was plain from the looks on their faces. I watched them for a minute, looking for courage that I wasn't really getting. I simply stared at Boromir, for lack of anything else to do, mouth hanging slightly open. What could I say to that?

"How was I supposed to know that a monster was going to try and eat us?" It was a lame retort, I know, but it was the only one I could think of.

"If you had told us sooner, we might have avoided the incident all together." Boromir took a step closer, color rising in his cheeks. He knew, or at least suspected. Maybe it wasn't the truth he was guessing at, who could? But it was something close enough to be a problem for me. Boromir probably thought I was a witch or something equally as dangerous he probably wanted to burn me alive for.

"Even if I had told you sooner it would have attacked us. And we'd still all be trapped down here." I rose to my feet, ignoring the retort of my side. I was too angry to care about pain anymore.

"And how do you know that?" Boromir narrowed his eyes. "What sorcery did you weave over us all? You know more than you let on."

"I could say the same of you," I growled back.

"That is enough," Gandalf said angrily. Boromir backed off a step or two. We both turned to face the wizard. He was leaning on his staff, watching us with angry eyes. The anger began to subside as he walked towards me. Gandalf looked into my eyes. I swallowed. "She is not an agent of Sauron," he said at length, "That much I know for certain. I am sure that whatever Cait has been through, whatever she knows, will be disclosed to us in time."

Gandalf gave Boromir a hard look before smiling gently at me. He was so trusting, so wise. We needed that kind of wisdom. I didn't want to see Gandalf die, even if it was his fate. He should be warned. If not warned, I at least owed him the truth, however hard it may be. I bit my lower lip. How was I supposed to say that this was all a story? How was anyone supposed to believe me?

"I have something I need to tell you all."

This was it. The moment of truth.


	8. Gandalf and the Balrog

_**Safe In Your Arms**_

**Chapter 8**

**Gandalf and the Balrog**

(Cait's POV)

Boromir and Gandalf were still arguing. Sam and Gimli had taken the lead, eagerly exploring what lay on ahead. Only the receding light of Gandalf's staff kept the pair from rushing on without us. To my surprise, the fellowship had taken rather well to what I revealed. At least Gandalf did. The hobbits were more curious than anything. Gimli and Legolas seemed not to care. At least they treated me exactly the same as before. Boromir wasn't as happy. He was still arguing with Gandalf a few hours later.

"I will not exploit her knowledge just for the sake of convenience!" Gandalf yelled, halting suddenly, the hushed argument rising now for all of Moria to hear. Gimli and Sam turned, suddenly intent on what was happening. Aragorn walked to my side. I had been walking on my own, partly because I wanted to show them I could do it by myself. "Events must unfold as planned."

The wizard continued to glare until Boromir backed down. Then Gandalf continued walking. We were close now. I knew we had to be. The closer we got to the exit, the harder I found it to breathe. I prayed that events would change, whether through my will or something more. Boromir's eyes narrowed as he silently cursed Gandalf. I waited for Boromir to keep walking before I followed. I didn't want to come into his view. I didn't want to start another argument. I didn't want to worry Gandalf any more than need be. Today wasn't the day. I just didn't have it in me.

"Are you all right, Cait?" Aragorn asked, coming to my side. He looked down at me worriedly.

"Yeah, as long as we gag Boromir and throw him into the mines, I should be fine." I frowned and folded my arms, silently glaring at the back of Boromir's head. Why couldn't he have just left everything alone? I would have told them. Eventually. I sighed. I had wanted to tell them. Aragorn especially. I didn't like lying to him or keeping the truth from him when he had stayed by my side almost the entire trip. I owed it to Sam as well. I made a mental note to apologize to them both later.

Aragorn smiled, but shook his head. "That's not what I meant." He glanced down at my side. The blood stain on my shirt had spread a bit. All the movement had opened my wound. Aragorn had redressed it the night before, putting more of those leaves in it. That actually made it feel better, surprisingly enough. It was a bit easier to walk today. "Come. Save your strength." Aragorn offered me his arm. I smiled, looking up into his gray blue eyes.

I slipped my arm through his. If anyone looked it would seem that Aragorn was only being a gentleman. Unless they were all blind, the others knew how much pain I was in. I had slowed the fellowship considerably. Gandalf grew more tense by the second. He didn't want to be in the mines any longer than necessary. Unfortunately, with me in tow, necessary was a lot longer than Gandalf had first thought. I wanted to get out of this god forsaken hole in the ground more than the rest of them combined.

"When we get out of here, I want a nice, hot bath." I began, breaking the silence. One of the hobbits chucked and I knew they felt the same way. "Then I'm going to sit all day long. I don't care what else I have to do – like read or whatever – to keep me occupied. I'm not moving."

"What are you going to do for food?" Pippin asked, looking over his shoulder at me.

"Only you would ask that, Pippin," Frodo said, laughing.

"I'll put big, comfy chair in the middle of the kitchen in between the stove and the pantry. That way I can eat and cook without moving or inconveniencing anyone else." Everyone laughed. I looked up into Aragorn's smiling eyes. I love the way he laughs. The hobbits began talking about food then. Not the stuff we've been eating the past few days but real feast kinds of food. Gimli joined in, beginning a tale of the last holiday at his home and soon Aragorn and I were forgotten.

"How about I just bring you everything you need and desire?" asked Aragorn, eyes looking down into mine.

"I could get used to that," I responded. I lowered my voice. "But I wouldn't want you to keep running around doing errands for me."

"No?" A smile twitched Aragorn's lips. Apparently he thought I was going to agree wholeheartedly to the idea.

"No. I'd want you by my side. That's what I desire."

Aragorn's grin widened. We stopped walking. "I believe that can be arranged."

He leaned down. Our lips met, brushing against each other softly. Aragorn wrapped an arm around my back, moving his other hand up to stroke my cheek. My knees wobbled – honest to god wobbled. And not from my wounded side. Aragorn pulled away slightly, looking at me with concern, afraid he had hurt me or else that I was much weaker than he had realized. But it was neither.

"Wow." That was my only response. Aragorn smiled, hugging me closer. "Promise me you won't wait two more days to do that again?" I asked.

"I promise," he whispered into my ear, sending shivers through every nerve in my body. Aragorn smiled, thoroughly pleased with his new discovery.

"Stop that."

"You don't really mean that." Aragorn was right, I didn't. But the fellowship was quite literally leaving us behind. I didn't want to be left in the dark, even if Aragorn was with me. There were too many evils lurking in the darkness.

The fellowship stopped moving ahead of us. Gandalf's staff remained a motionless beacon of light. Aragorn and I looked curiously at one another, neither knowing what had caused the fellowship to stop. I have to admit that I feared the worst, though there wasn't any screaming or metal clashing. We walked forward, slowly because of my side.

The corridor opened up into a great hall in front of us. Huge columns reached floor to ceiling, bearing the great weight of the mountain above us. I doubt that the whole fellowship could have stood around a single column and have our fingers touching. The light of Gandalf's staff was barely enough to show how far above us the ceiling lay. Gimli walked ahead, craning his neck every which way in order to take in all the sights. The rest of us moved more slowly behind him. Even Legolas seemed to be in awe of the great craftsmanship of the dwarves, looking up with reverence.

No one would have noticed the small door leading of the great hall if Gimli hadn't given a yell and ran over. Gandalf called him back, reprimanding him sharply. It did no good. Gimli kept running, entered the room and disappeared from view. We ran after him, Gandalf leading the way.

The room wasn't anywhere near as big as the Great Hall. In the middle lay a stone tomb, immaculately carved, yet still with simplistic beauty. A single ray of light broke through a small opening in the side of the mountain, falling across the tomb. Gimli knelt before it, crying. We stopped in the doorway of the room. Poor Gimli. I would never have expected him to break down and cry like that. A seasoned warrior always quick with a joke. But I guess even they have family they miss terribly sometimes. Aragorn rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. Gimli only sobbed harder.

"Herein lies Balin, son of Fundin - The Lord of Moria." Gandalf read the dwarvish inscription aloud. Gimli let out a loud sob. "It's as I feared," Gandalf whispered, under his breath.

The wizard turned away from the scene. Our eyes met. We stared at each other a long time. Gandalf sighed. He rested a hand on my shoulder for a moment, glancing about the room where the others stood. He knew from the look on my face. Gandalf was ... well, Gandalf. Of course he knew what was going to happen. Or else he just happened to guess right about 99 percent of the time.

"What do I do, Gandalf?" I asked softly. He looked me up and down and gave a half smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Give them hope. And guidance. And do not fear."

And then he walked away, towards a skeleton lying on the floor holding a dusty tome. I wrapped my arms around myself. Everyone was listening to Gandalf read of the last moments of Moria. But I didn't. I knew the words already. It had been a long time since I had seen the movies, but I knew. I didn't want to hear them again - I couldn't. The words Gandalf spoke were exactly the same.

And it terrified me.

The hobbits instinctively stepped closer together. All except for Pippin, who wasn't quite paying attention. I watched the exits of the room. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Gandalf finished speaking, silence echoing deafeningly through the room.

The screech of metal on stone broke the silence. We all turned. Pippin was hovering with his hand grasping an arrow which was stuck through a dead dwarf. Slowly, the mail clad warrior fell back through what appeared to be a well, but most likely had a part in the mining. Bones ripped apart as it hit walls, ricocheting through the cavernous depths, making the sound echo a thousand fold. Pippin stood where he was, very still, as if frozen in place.

No one spoke for a long minute.

"Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" Gandalf yelled at Pippin as loud as he dared. Pippin opened his mouth but no words came out. "Of all the hobbits to run into, you brought this one." I think the last part was directed at Frodo. I frowned. It looked like Gandalf was going to continue ranting. I don't think I've seen anyone as mad as he was right now. But maybe it wasn't all anger. Maybe part of it was fear that didn't know how to manifest itself properly.

"Gandalf!" I barked. The wizard stopped and turned on me. His lips were pursed, eyes in a thin line glaring at me. Well that was a change of attitude. "Please..." I trailed off. Gandalf's face softened as he realized just how frightened I was.

A single thump echoed hollowly through the caves. No one breathed. There was a second thump of a drum. Then another. Frightened and worried glances were exchanged. Then it grew louder, growing faster, more threatening. Unearthly shrieks came from the depths.

The orcs were on the move.

If the entire populace of Moria had been slaughtered by the orcs, how were ten people – one already wounded – supposed to make it out alive? Even Aragorn, who was usually the most calm of all of us, seemed on edge.

"Barricade the door!" he shouted, grabbing discarded weapons and shields from the floor.

Boromir rushed forward, slamming the great wooden doors. He turned to Aragorn, back resting on the doors. "They have a cave troll." Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas barricaded the door as best they could to try and bide us some time. Boromir looked back at myself and the hobbits.

"Hobbits, Cait, get behind Gandalf."

The wizard stood in the middle of the room, drawn sword in one hand, staff in the other, feet slightly apart. Frodo's sword glowed blue in the dim light. The Hobbits looked more scared than I did, though the four of them had swords and I didn't. At least I knew that we'd all make it out alive. Of this round of fighting, that is. And only if things didn't change.

I couldn't help but think about what happened at the gates to Moria. The changes had been subtle. But now even the tiniest change in detail could end in the death of another.

I took an ax that was laying on the floor by its long dead wielder. The thing was much too heavy and my side screaming in protest. I set it down again. What else was there for me to use? I had to defend myself somehow. In the heat of battle I couldn't be sure that someone would be there every time I got into trouble. There was a long, thin crudely cut blade lying forgotten on the ground. This was much lighter than the others. I still didn't know how to use the thing though.

But I'd find out soon enough.

The great wooden doors trembled. There were shrieks and calls from the other side as the doors shook again. Legolas strung his bow. A small hole was hacked near stomach level in one door. An orc screamed in pain and shock as Legolas' arrow was lodged in an orcs middle. The mass of foes was only more excited by this. The rabble outside grew louder and louder. The hobbits backed up a few steps.

The door gave way as the orcs heaved against it. Splinters flew in every direction as orcs poured through the opening. Boromir, Legolas and Aragorn stopped them before they could fully enter the room. With a great battle cry, Gimli jumped from atop the tomb of Balin into the fray hacking at anything that dared to come near him. Then the orcs filtered out around the four up front. Gandalf watched them, waiting for them to come closer.

He yelled, rushing into the heat of battle. The hobbits glanced at each other before doing the same.

I thought the whole screaming thing was ridiculous.

An orc neared me, sneering. It raised a sword above its head. I backed out of the way, causing the gray skinned freak to miss. He turned, slashing. I brought my sword up to block its attack. Metal smashed against metal, the sound ringing in my ears. I backed up a step as the orc came a step closer. It attacked again and again. I blocked by some miracle. I couldn't keep blocking like this. It was only a miracle that I hadn't been sliced open again. So I did the only thing that I was sure would give me the chance to kill him.

I kneed him where it hurts.

The orc crumpled to the ground and began making that horrible screeching noise again. I raised up the sword I was holding and brought it down on the orc. I tried not to think about what I had just done. The memory would soon be forgotten though as the orcs began to filter out. A thunderous stomping was coming closer. There was a grunt as a troll nearly nine feet tall trudged in. A giant club was being dragged along side it. Letting out a roar, the troll smashed his club against the ground. One of the hobbits narrowly escaping through the trolls legs.

Legolas immediately turned his bow on the troll. It simply roared in frustration, arrows hitting it like sewing needles. A shadow fell across Boromir as the troll stepped further into the room. An orc closed in on him, seeing the distraction.

A little part of me wanted to ignore whatever happened next, but despite all the hostility between Boromir and I, I couldn't let him get wounded – or worse. I walked closer, tiptoeing behind the orc. Raising my sword, I stuck it through the back. Which looked so much easier on TV. Boromir turned, looking shocked to find that I had actually killed something.

"You owe me."

Boromir dismissed me with a wave of the hand.

The troll let out a long, horrible wail as Legolas shot a few arrows into his skull. The elf reached behind him to pull out another arrow only to find that there were none left. I don't know why, but I never really thought that was possible until now. Legolas leapt off the troll, landing near a cluster of orcs. He drew two long hunting knives which he used to slash at his opponents. The troll thrashed in pain. We and the orcs began dashing out of its way.

Boromir arched his sword around me, hitting an orc behind me. For a second I honestly thought he was coming for me and not something behind me. I sighed and looked at the dead orc behind.

"Now we're even," Boromir said, stalking towards his next victim.

Something halfway between a squeak and a cry of pain made everyone look up. Frodo had a giant spear rammed into his side, pinning him against the wall. And by giant spear I mean huge, giant troll sized spear. The shaft had to have been an entire tree trunk smoothed down and equipped with a pointy tip. The troll grunted in satisfaction, pulling the spear out. No doubt he was planning on using on the next one of us saw. But he was never going to get the chance.

Merry and Pippin leapt onto his shoulders out of nowhere. It tried to shake them off, crying out in pain. Most of the orcs were dead by now, the last of which Aragorn, Boromir and Gandalf were cleaning up. Legolas scrambled about the room, trying to find orcs where his arrows were lodged. He ripped one out of an orc with a squelch.

The troll roared, shaking Merry from his shoulders. Taking perfect aim, Legolas shot an arrow through the troll's open mouth and into the back of his skull. Its eyes lost focus before falling to the floor dead. Pippin rolled off and landed in a heap. Everyone ran to where Frodo fell.

* * *

(Aragorn's POV)

I hesitated a moment, hands hovering over Frodo's shoulders. I picked him up gingerly and nearly dropped him when I saw he was alive. I had been so sure Frodo was dead, or dying. I was so sure his part of the quest had ended here in the mines of Moria.

Frodo sat up, panting hard. He looked over and nodded at me in thanks. I took my hand from his shoulder and looked at him in disbelief. The hobbit looked awful. He was pale and panting hard. But he was alive. There was barely any bloodshed and I couldn't stop myself from asking. "How? That spear would have killed even the most battle hardened of warriors."

Frodo said nothing, only held up his shirt to reveal the mithril vest he wore underneath. Gimli bent closer, astonishment on his face.

"Guys," Cait said, bringing us back to our surroundings. "We need to go." She was leaning on the wall near a second door leading the way to freedom. Gandalf stood beside her. Boromir picked Frodo up, who had still not quite gotten his breathing back to normal. We started running. Gandalf took Cait by and arm and tried to hurry her forward. I frowned. On second look, that was not it at all. They were leaning on one another, each using the weight of the other for support and momentum.

I glanced at Legolas and saw he was watching the same thing. Gimli prodded us to go faster from behind. Orcs were beginning to give chase. They began to crawl down walls, up from holes in the floor and pour out of doorways and corridors surrounding us. We were being cut off from our exit.

In the center of another large room we stopped. There was nowhere to go. There was nowhere to run too. We formed a circle, our backs to each other. Cait stood beside me. In hand I held my sword which glinted from the light issuing from Gandalf's staff. My other hand found Cait's. She glanced at me sideways, then back the orcs. The she turned back to me as if realizing something.

"Aragorn, your hurt," she said worriedly. I didn't reply. How could she worry about that when we were about to die. It was true that I was hurt, though not badly. I had been thrown against a pillar by the troll during the fight. But I had made it out of the battle with only a gash to the forehead and a few seconds missing of the battle.

"We are dead," Boromir said. He looked at the sea of orcs frantically.

"Not giving up before trying, are you? My grandpa would be very disappointed in you. He was general, you know, in France during the war." Cait was babbling and her voice sounded weaker from the running and fighting. Gandalf forced his light to shine brighter. His shoulder sagged slightly. The effort was making him grow weary. But the orcs were staying back outside the ring of light cast by Gandalf's staff.

"And what would he say, were he here? What advice would your king give?"

Cait rolled her eyes at Boromir's words. "Probably that he wasn't going to change your soiled drawers after the battle was over. Jesus Christ, trying to give a moral speech to you people is like trying to teach that guy to brush his teeth!" Cait pointed at an orc in front of her.

Something growled in the distance. The orcs froze. Some turned their heads towards the sound. Cait grasped my hand more tightly. Despite her words she was afraid. Maybe she had been speaking more to herself than Boromir. But if Boromir was asking for kingly advice he was much more frightened than I had originally thought.

The orcs began grumbling amongst themselves before scattering. We remained in the group, unmoving. Gandalf was watching the doorway the orcs were running from. Cait stepped out of the circle. I looked to her and then back to the others.

"'Kay, guys. Time to go." I took a step towards her and turned. What she said was true, after it was decoded, that is. We had to keep moving. Now, when we had the chance. "That wasn't really a suggestion," she added.

"This foe is beyond any of you," Gandalf said, not looking at us but at the shadows and flames hovering in the doorway. "It is a balrog, an ancient demon of a bygone age." He looked back and saw us standing there, simply watching him. "Run!" he yelled at us.

Legolas was first to move, putting an arm under Cait's shoulder and pulling her along. I ushered the rest forward. Gandalf was last to leave. I pulled the door shut behind us as we entered a stairwell and bolted it. It was safe us only a few second, but even that was precious. I turned and saw Gandalf leaning in against the stairwell. I put a hand on his shoulder and looked him up and down, scanning for wounds.

"Lead them on, Aragorn," he said. I went support him, to drag him after me if I had too. But Gandalf pushed me forward with a strength I had forgotten he had. "Go," he barked. I frowned at him, confused. An arrow whistled past me. Another bounced off the steps. The orcs had found another way to us. I ran forward after the rest of the Fellowship.

Legolas had carried Cait as he crossed a gap in the bridge. She stood there, holding her side tightly. Boromir ushered me across first. I didn't argue. I jumped and went past Legolas to Cait. She looked up at me momentarily before glancing down again, trying to catch her breath. Gently, I removed the hand from her side. Red blood stained her palm and dripped off her fingers. Her wound had reopened.

"Shit," she said.

The only thing I could do was speed up our flight from Moria. There was nothing else I could do here. Not with a horde of orcs and balrog on our tail. I picked Cait up in my arms and my pace, only stopping long enough to allow Frodo to run across the bridge before me.

When I turned, Gandalf stood in the center of the bridge. In one hand he held his glowing staff aloft. In the other he held his sword. It was an awesome sight. Not often did Gandalf show his true power, often preferring to let himself be known as wizard through simpler, more friendly means, such as his fireworks the hobbits were so very fond of. The balrog snarled and lashes his whip.

An arrow came flying past Cait and I. She gripped my neck tighter, trying to pull herself in and make her body smaller. Legolas sent several arrows flying towards the goblin, two of which made contact. When I looked back at Gandalf and his adversary the bridge had already cracked. I watched as if in a dream as the balrog fell, and, in turn pulled Gandalf down with him.

I only stared at the spot where Gandalf had just been. An arrow whizzed by dangerously close to my face.

"Aragorn!" Boromir yelled. I turned slightly. He beckoned me forward. My feet followed though I don't remembered following him. Suddenly I found myself lying on the hillside, trying to keep the tears from my eyes.

I pulled bandages out of my pack and quickly began bandaging Cait's wound. She said nothing, only wincing once than I was less than gentle cleaning the area. It wasn't until she hissed in pain that I stopped and looked at her. Cait pushed my hands away, unwrapped the fresh bandage a bit, and handed it back to me. I had been wrapping it too tightly.

"It's alright to cry sometimes, you know." I looked at her again. I few tears trickled down her cheeks. She was right. I was among friends. Pippin was crying in Merry's lap. Legolas and Gimli were sitting silently side by side, though both of their cheeks were tear stained. Frodo was standing a little ways apart from everyone else, eyes puffy and red. But I couldn't cry. Not yet. I had to lead them on. Later, perhaps, in the dead of night, when no one save Legolas and Cait would see. I had to be strong. I had to keep them going, not only because Gandalf had told me to, but because so far no one else had volunteered.

"Legolas, Gimli get them up." I stood.

"Would you give them a moment, for pity's sake?" Boromir cried, annoyance clear in his voice.

"By nightfall these mountains will be swarming with orcs."

"We must reach the safety of Loth Lorien." Legolas nodded, looking towards a forest in the distance.


	9. In the Woods of Lorien

_**Safe In Your Arms**_

**Chapter 9**

**In the Woods of Lorien**

(Cait's POV)

This time no one asked me if I could walk and I didn't put up a fight when Aragorn scooped me into his arms. The others shouldered our packs. We didn't want to keep going. We wanted to sit and cry – every single one of us, even if Aragorn refused to let it show.

The woods weren't as far away as they looked from a distance. I put my head on Aragorn's shoulder. This time he didn't look down. He was leading the fellowship. Aragorn only looked ahead, not at me, not back at the others. Legolas was making sure that the hobbits kept up.

As the branches of Lorien made an impenetrable canopy above me I began to feel weaker instead of better. I shifted in Aragorn's arms. He grasped me tighter. Something didn't feel right. I couldn't tell what it was at first. But something was wrong. Reaching around me, I put a hand to my side.

My hand came back red.

"Aragorn," I whispered.

It took him a moment to respond. When he did it was with a quick "Yes?" I didn't respond and he finally glanced down. Aragorn stopped mid-stride when he saw the blood. The others came to halt behind us, not at all sorry for the delay but worried nonetheless. Our eyes met and I saw just how worried Aragorn was. And it frightened me.

"What is it?" Gimli clutched his ax tighter. "Is it the elf Witch?"

"No. I fear that it is much worse. Come. We must quicken our pace." Aragorn looked down at me worriedly before continuing on, more quickly than before. I stared up at him at a loss for what to say. I was frightened and not for the others this time, but for myself. For the first time I began to question if I would make it out alive, if I would see the end of the journey.

"You will be alright, Cait," Aragorn said, holding me closer. I didn't know if he said it for my comfort or his own.

"I'm scared, Aragorn," I admitted.

"I know." Aragorn had a faraway look in his eyes. "It's alright to be frightened sometimes." The ranger half smiled at me. At least I knew that he had been listening to me before.

Gimli began talking, trying to keep his spirits up along with everyone else's. That was usually Pippin's job – we could never get him to shut up. But now, with Gandalf's death, Pippin was silent. We all needed one of his quick jokes, though, no matter how corny they might be.

Just as Gimli began talking about Galadriel and how she was a witch, an arrow was pointed directly in my face. Seriously, though, I don't know what the elf was thinking. Here I was, being carried by a Ranger and covered in blood. Did I really look like a threat? I couldn't even walk on my own anymore let alone run away or fight back.

"Strangers are not welcome in the Woods in these times. You must turn back." A tall elf with hair even lighter than Legolas' spoke. I assumed he was Haldir. Jeez, talk about a nice guy. I thought he was supposed to be friends with Aragorn. But it was as if he didn't even recognize him.

"We cannot." Aragorn spoke. Haldir arched an eyebrow, obviously not expecting that direct of a response. Legolas had strung his bow, ready to let an arrow fly. The hobbits were too scared to move. Gimli growled at the elves. Boromir put an arm across Gimli's chest to keep him from doing anything stupid. "Orcs cover the mountains surrounding Moria and our companions need healing. Some more than others." It was only then that I remembered Frodo's bruise and cuts and the gash on Sam's forehead. Aragorn wasn't speaking of his own wound. Knowing him, he wouldn't even remember it was there.

Haldir eyed Aragorn distrustfully, but his look softened a little when he saw me. Slowly, his eyes swept over the crowd resting on the hobbits a moment longer than the rest of us.

"We cannot allow you to enter our lands." Haldir looked directly at the hobbits as he spoke. Aragorn looked like he rolled his eyes. Maybe I was beginning to rub off on him.

"I must speak with Haldir separately for a moment," Aragorn said, more to me than to any of the others.

"Rest on me, Cait."

To my surprise it was Boromir who spoke first, maybe because he was currently the only one who wasn't terrified and didn't have a weapon drawn, excluding Aragorn, of course. Aragorn eyed him distrustfully for a moment before I was transferred to Boromir's arms. My wound was touching Boromir's side now. I hissed in pain, though I tried not to.

"I am sorry," Boromir looked troubled. "I did not want to cause you harm."

"I kind of liked you better when you did," I said, attempting to make a joke out of the situation. God knows everyone needed it. Boromir snickered.

"As you wish. I will go back to tormenting you as soon as you are healed then."

Legolas' head whipped around as Aragorn's voice rose. Unfortunately he spoke elvish, so I don't know what he was saying. But whatever it was caused Haldir to look at him with – was it pity? – and beckoned us forward.

"You will follow me to one of our watches."

Suddenly I found myself in Aragorn's arms again, and my side stopped hurting as badly as before. It wasn't far to the watch, which happened to consist of a few wooden platforms built onto a tree. I looked up and frowned. How the hell did anyone expect me to get way up there? I agreed with Gimli now. I'd rather the ground any day.

"You will be resting here tonight. Follow me."

Haldir climbed up the ladder and strode across the platform out of sight. So that meant I wasn't to be expecting any help from him. The elves accompanying Haldir waited for us to clamber up before them, probably to make sure that none of us did anything stupid. Legolas was the next to ascend followed by the hobbits.

"Lass, will you be alright in getting up there?" Gimli asked me, one hand resting on the ladder.

"Um…" I wondered how exactly I was going to climb that high. I didn't think I had enough strength in my arms or side anymore. "I'll be alight," I said. Gimli looked at me intently before glancing at Aragorn.

"I trust you'll be fine."

Boromir, Gimli and Aragorn all knew I was lying.

"We can't carry her," Boromir said. "Cait would fall." Boromir sounded concerned.

"You are right," Aragorn said wearily. "Cait, do you think you can climb? I will be right behind you." I looked at Aragorn doubtfully.

"And I shall assist you." Boromir began climbing up the ladder before either Aragorn or myself could respond. He stopped a few rungs up and lowered an arm down that I was supposed to grab hold of.

Aragorn let me down. I stood, wobbly, but it was a start. I grabbed hold of the lowermost rungs. One step up and already my side was screaming for me to stop. I stopped two steps up and looked up at Boromir. He came down a step and grasped my hand tightly. Boromir half pulled me up the remaining rungs. Someone else grabbed and arm as I neared the top. Aragorn put a hand on my back to steady me as the two pulled me up.

When I made it to the platform I found myself sprawled across a few people. Tears of pain blurred my vision. I couldn't even see who I was laying on. Slowly, things returned to normal. The tears cleared and the pain in my side lessened. I found that I was sprawled across Boromir and Legolas. Aragorn picked me up once more. He set me down on one side of the platform where a huge branch broke through the floor. I rested my back against it, grateful to be doing something on my own that didn't cause extreme pain.

"I must speak with Haldir," Aragorn told me when I went to rest my head against his shoulder. "We must reach the safety of Lorien."

I nodded. He squeezed my hand reassuringly. I tried not to take the deep, shuddering breath. I tried to make it look normal. But I just couldn't. Something changed in Aragorn's eyes. It wasn't until he kissed my forehead that I realized it was fear.

Aragorn motioned for Legolas to follow. They began talking rapidly in elvish.

Everyone separated a ways. Thoughts of Gandalf filled everyone's mind. Boromir, who had been so concerned with me a few moments ago, was now off in a corner by himself, once again oblivious to my existence. Merry and Pippin huddle together, for once not speaking. Sam was sitting with Gimli, who did not look thrilled with being so high up off the ground.

"I thought going through the mines was a good idea," Frodo said, sitting down beside me. "But all it did was make you hurt worse. And Gandalf …" Frodo's voice trailed away.

"It wasn't your fault, Frodo." Frodo didn't say anything. He shook his head and just continued to stare at the same spot on the floor. "I probably would have done something stupid and get hurt worse anyway."

Frodo smiled, but it disappeared from his face as his eyes rested on my side. "Does it hurt?" He asked, serious once again.

"Yeah," I said, answering honestly. "What about you? How's the bruise?"

"Sore, but otherwise fine." Frodo remained deep in thought. "Do you think they'll let us into Lorien? Without me here …" I cut Frodo off.

"They would be just as cautious. Seriously, Frodo, you have to stop blaming everything on yourself. There are eight other people to screw up too. We can't always give you the limelight."

The hobbit smiled and chuckled. Finally. It's hard work making Frodo happy. The poor guy just has too much on his mind.

Voices rose to an alarming level from Aragorn and Haldir. If anyone had been following us they certainly knew our whereabouts now. The other elves seemed the think the same thing, for one looked out into the forest in the direction we had come. Aragorn gestured back towards Frodo and myself. Haldir responded louder and angrier. The fellowship was staring at us, silently blaming Frodo and myself for not being allowed into Lorien. Legolas tried to settle the Ranger and Warden down.

I looked at my side. It was hard to tell if the wound was bleeding again or if the blood was from before. Above anything else I needed a change of clothes. Now that I was finally not moving my tiredness caught up with me. My limbs felt as if they had weights attached to them. I rested my head on Frodo's shoulder. I just couldn't keep my eyes open, or head up anymore.

"Do you mind?" I asked.

"No," Frodo replied, sounding just as tired. "G'night." He rested his head against mine.

"Night, Frodo," I responded before falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

(Aragorn's POV)

Haldir refused to see reason. Arguing was futile. I ran a hand through my hair distractedly trying to clear my mind and form a logical argument in another vein as this one was not getting us anywhere. My eyes rested on Cait, who was asleep on Frodo's shoulder. Cait… She needed a healer of greater skill than myself. I did all I could to stop the bleeding. Yet that didn't seem to be enough. I didn't know what else to do.

"_Aragorn!"_ Haldir said, annoyance in his voice. _"Are you listening to a word I've said?"_

I glanced at Legolas before answering. We had been discussing Frodo and the Ring. Haldir didn't want to bring such evil into Lorien, which was understandable to an extent. I could not make him see reason, though. Neither could Legolas. We needed food and rest. If we went back, the orcs would kill us before the Fellowship left the woods. Moving back was out of the question. And we were not allowed to move forward. Instead we were stuck in a perpetual limbo, neither here nor there.

"_I said that which the hobbit carries will bring evil to Lorien which has never before entered our realm."_ I sighed and shook my head. Haldir had already made that abundantly clear. Besides, it was something I already knew.

My eyes wandered back to Cait as the elf spoke, much to his annoyance. She looked so pale, much paler than after we left Moria. She seemed to be getting worse instead of better.

"_Haldir,"_ I said, using the last plea I could think of to get the Fellowship into the safety of Lorien. _"If you do not grant us permission to enter Lorien one of our company may not survive."_ I hadn't wanted to admit that out loud. The fear that I could lose Cait before I actually admitted my feelings for her ate away at me. Haldir paused, searching my face, which was a definite improvement over our earlier discussions. "_Please, Haldir. I've done all I can for Cait. She needs a healer."_

Haldir contemplated my words. "_We still have the problem of allowing the ring into Lorien."_ Haldir's eyes pierced me as he spoke, as if he was looking for ulterior motives which I might have been hiding. What ulterior motives could I possibly have though? I thought back to long ago when Legolas had described Haldir as being paranoid.

"_Then I will stay here with Frodo and any of the Fellowship who wish to stay. Just take Cait to a healer. Send us back supplies. Give us word the moment her wound begins to heal." _

"_I did not think you would allow the girl out of your sight,"_ Haldir said, slight amusement in his voice.

"_Come to think of it, you could send a healer here, to us, and then I would not have to leave Cait unattended."_ I narrowed my eyes at Haldir's conceited smile, which disappeared.

I was torn on what to do. I swore that I would protect Frodo, yet my heart wanted nothing more than to bring Cait to Lorien, to find a suitable healer for her, to ensure that she would be alright. I wanted to be there for her. I didn't want to leave Cait alone in a foreign land.

I felt a hand on my arm and turned away from the sleeping girl and hobbit, back to Haldir. His face was suddenly somber. "_Aragorn, your heart is with hers, is it not?" _

"_I would die for Cait,"_ I said, meaning it more than I had ever meant any phrase.

"_And the Halfling? You would lay down your life for him as well?" _

"_Though for quite a different reason,"_ Legolas said, smirking.

"_You now begin to speak as a king making the best decisions for his people instead of the Ranger which I knew. I think we have come to an understanding. I will take you to see the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn tomorrow. They shall make the final decision if you will be allowed to remain in Lorien."_

"_Thank you, my friend,"_ I said, clapping a hand to his shoulder in thanks. Haldir smiled slightly and bowed his head in reply.

"_I shall tell the others. Go,"_ Legolas told me, noticing me watching Cait.

I touched Frodo's shoulder, waking him. He just nodded, shifting in order to allow me to take his place next to Cait. I put an arm around her, bringing her closer. Instinctively, Cait nestled closer. With one hand I unbuttoned my cloak wrapping it around Cait as a blanket. Despite still wearing Legolas' cloak she was shivering. It was not a good sign. Morning would not come quickly enough.

"Aragorn?" I heard Cait ask quietly.

"Yes?"

"I'll be alright, won't I?" I didn't breath for a moment. My fears must have shown, even if only for a brief moment. "Nothing else will come after us tonight, right?" She prompted.

"You will be fine. You're safe." I wrapped my arms around her tighter, more protectively. "Try to rest."


	10. Healing

_**Safe In Your Arms**_

**Chapter 10**

**Healing**

(Cait's POV)

When I opened my eyes, boy did I get the shock of my life. There I was falling asleep on Aragorn's shoulder and then I wake up and find myself in an extremely comfortable bed with soft linen sheets. But after sleeping on the ground these past days I think any bed would be comfortable. It took a few minutes for me to realize that I shouldn't have been in any bed at all. I should be on the elves tree house watch thing. I should be next to Aragorn. I should be complaining about Gimli's snoring.

Something happened. Something was wrong.

I sat up – or tried to. A sharp pain traveled up my side. My vision swam and I lay back down. I put a hand to my side and realized the bandage as wrapped much differently than before. I picked up the sheets and saw my clothes, too, were different. Don't know why I didn't realize this earlier. I was in a long white shirt and soft gray pants of a material I couldn't place.

I lowered the covers and tried to sit once again. I was stiff all over. I needed to stretch, if even just a little. My side was still angry with how I ignored it Moria, though. I winced and held my side. But I was sitting, much the annoyance of someone in the room.

"You shouldn't try to rise yet. Your wound hasn't healed enough for any exertion."

My vision had begun to swim again. The voice was familiar but it took a moment for me to place the blond hair and pointy ears as I waited for my vision to clear. I don't know why. It wasn't like I only knew one elf or anything. I squinted at the voice, trying to make more sense of the blurry shape. Slowly the fog dissipated leaving me with a clear vision of Legolas. I blinked at him a few times before responding. He patiently waited for me to recognize him.

"Why are you in different clothes?" I asked. Legolas chuckled. But what could I say? I had only ever seen him in the one set of clothing. "And where are we?"

"We have arrived in Lorien. The Lord and Lady have graciously supplied us with shelter and protection for the time being. And new clothing." Legolas smiled. I nodded, looking over his clothing suspiciously. Nothing made much sense. I couldn't remember the journey to Lorien at all. As far as I was aware we should still be on the borders of the forest. That was definitely a bad sign.

"And when exactly did we arrive?" I was almost afraid of what the answer may be. I didn't really want to know what happened.

"Three day ago." Legolas watched me, trying to judge my reaction.

Three days? I was unconscious for three days? It couldn't have been that long. It seemed that only a few minutes ago I was resting in Aragorn's arms. The thought made my breath catch in my throat. Aragorn. Where was he? I scanned the room quickly. Legolas shifted in his chair. He knew what I was looking for.

"What happened?" I asked, afraid that we had been attacked when I was sleeping. Anything could have happened.

Legolas sat on the edge of my bed. "The strain which was put on your wound as we traveled through Moria was too great. You weren't yet healed when it worsened so greatly." Regret shone in Legolas' old eyes. He patted my hand in a fatherly sort of way, gave me a searching look, and left.

There was more to it than that. I knew it. But I didn't ask any more questions. Part of me was afraid to find out what else was wrong. I shouldn't have lost that much blood. I heard Aragorn and Legolas say that before we met the other elves in the outskirts of Lorien. They had both been so worried. I caught some of those looks they thought I didn't see. I knew I should have been afraid.

I wish he had stayed a while longer, but Legolas said I needed rest. But how much more rest did they all expect me to have after a three full days of sleep? The healer said I was recovering nicely. I convinced her that I was fit enough to spend a little time out of bed. It was only after I stood that I realized how weak I was. I wobbled the first few steps, probably because I hadn't used my legs in so long more than anything else.

Ever so slowly I walked towards a door that looked to be some kind of bathroom. The door was carved in intricate designs with a brass knob just as fancy. It was indeed a bathroom with simple yet beautiful fixtures. I walked to a sink and turned it on, letting the water run for a few seconds before splashing some cold water on my face.

I looked up into the silver rimmed mirror and gave a start. "I look horrible!" I said aloud. There was a laugh at the doorway. Frodo stood there, leaning against the frame. It was him who laughed. I heard other voices and assumed it was the rest of the hobbits that had come to see me.

"You should have seen me when first awoke in Rivendell after Weathertop. I looked much worse than you do."

I made a face at him and turned back to the mirror. My hair needed to be brushed badly. I had dark circles under my eyes and my skin was a bit paler than normal. But I guess it could have been worse. I could still be covered in mud and who knows what else from the journey here.

"Only a woman would be concerned about how she looks and not come out and see her friends." It was Merry who spoke. I smiled and looked to Frodo. He motioned for me to come out and I followed.

"Maybe I just wanted to make a good impression." I said, sitting back down on the bed.

Frodo had picked up a book which had been beside my bed. I looked over his shoulder.

"Any good?" Merry asked.

"No idea," I responded honestly. "It's all in elvish. But the pictures and the maps look nice."

"Legolas said that you were finally awake," Pippin said, "so we decided to come and visit you."

"Good. It's really boring here with no company and nothing to do," I said, glad for the distraction. It wasn't that I had been awake for very long, but still.

"Are you coming to the ball?" Merry asked. Sam hit the back of Pippins head with a hand. "Ow," Merry said turning to Sam, "What was that for?"

"Cait isn't supposed to be out of bed yet." I frowned at this and Sam looked at me apologetically. "Begging your pardon, Miss Cait, but that's what everybody was saying."

I rolled my eyes. "Wonderful. And Sam, seriously, stop calling me Miss Cait. It's just Cait."

"Don't bother trying that, Cait. It doesn't work." Frodo said. He laid the book on a small table beside my bed and joined his cousins sitting at the foot of the bed. The hobbits laughed and Sam's cheeks looked a bit rosier than usual.

"The healer said that I can leave bed for a little while," I told Sam. He gave me a skeptical look. "No really, I promise!"

Sam didn't look any more convinced but it sounded good enough for Pippin. "What are you wearing then?"

Any and all excitement vanished then. Now that my bloodied clothes had been discarded I didn't have anything. No clothes and no money to buy clothes with. Seriously, why did everything come down to money? My chances at going to a ball were disappearing before my eyes. My face must have shown my disappointment because Merry asked me, "What's the matter?"

I glanced at them before answering. They all looked clueless. "I don't have any clothes. Or money."

"That's not a problem." Merry said, clearly not understanding a thing I just said. "Pip and I'll get you something." Pippin nodded enthusiastically, jumping off the bed.

"No, really, I don't want you guys spending all that money on me."

"Well, I can nick you something if you'd like."

"No!" Didn't their parents teach them any morals at all? But it was too late. The two had already left. I looked at Frodo and Sam. They looked as apprehensive as I felt. "I may need to do a lot of apologizing to some poor elf later."

* * *

(Legolas POV)

I was searching for Aragorn when Merry and Pippin approached me. They were grinning over something. I feared that they had pulled some sort of prank on Gimli, as they had the night before. Woe betide us all if they ever met Elladan and Elrohir. But when they spoke it was of a very different matter.

"Legolas, how much money are you willing to donate for a noble cause?" Merry asked me. He looked very serious.

I tried not to smile as I answered. "What is this worthy cause you speak of? And how much more do you need?" I was used to questions like this. Funding for armor and weapons for various expeditions to rid Mirkwood of the giant spiders, among other problems in the forest. It was a much darker place now than it had been of old. Even Gollum had been found by Aragorn and myself wandering the wood not long ago. It was a sad thing he escaped. Had he talked we might have prevented Frodo's harrowing experience in getting to Rivendell.

"Well, we've almost enough for the dress, but we'll be needing shoes as well," Pippin tried to explain.

"And make up." Merry added. Pippin nodded and frowned, feeling the coin he carried in his pockets.

"What are you talking ..." I stopped as I realized the ball was tonight. They must be finding an ensemble so that Cait could attend. I smiled at them. Despite their pranks and jokes, they had kind hearts. Kinder than most, in fact. It was another similarity to Elladan and Elrohir. As I watched them I realized for the first time, I think, how similar the hobbits and we elves were at times. I smiled.

I pulled various coins from my pocket. "Put my money towards make-up, perfume, shoes, whatever you see fit. The lady deserves a splendid dress before we go trekking in the mud once again."

Pippin took the money I gave him as Merry spilled the coins already gathered onto the ground. There were a few Gondorian coins, many dwarfish coins, and a small mound of hobbitish coins. The merchants were going to have fun with this batch.

"Are these worth more or less than Gondorian money?" Merry asked, holding the two coins up beside each other.

"Here," I told them, pulling out another fistful of coins. "That should take care of everything." Merry and Pippin stared wide eyed at what I added to the pile. I had just doubled the amount they had collected from the Fellowship thus far. In fact, I had forgotten I had taken so much coin with me. I was glad that it had proven useful. My brother told me I was foolish for wasting the room in my pack when I was leaving Mirkwood.

"Cait would murder us if she found out how much you put in." Merry said.

"You sure you want to donate that much, Legolas?" Pippin asked.

It was most likely the largest sum of money either one had seen collected together at one time. And I was sure that Cait would not be happy at the amount I put in. "The amount is no trouble," I told them, "My father is the Lord of Mirkwood. Finances are usually something which I do not trouble with."

The hobbits looked at each other. They must have forgotten that I was indeed a prince. True, I hadn't reminded them. And as my father tries to make so painfully aware I do not dress nor act like a prince. "Go on now," I prompted them. "You need to give the lady time to dress."

The hobbits collected their coins into bulging pockets and scampered off towards the traders and merchants. Now to find Aragorn.

The ranger had been making himself scarce for some time now, at least a day, if not more. I wandered the many gardens of Lorien, wishing that my friend was not a Ranger. He knew all too well how to steel himself away when he wished not to be found. Eventually I found him beneath a flowering tree in one of the many gardens of Lorien.

"_I have found you at last, my friend. For what reason do you hide yourself from us?"_ Aragorn didn't turn around. I thought he would not answer at all, but eventually the soft reply came.

"You know why, Legolas."

Aragorn continued looking straight ahead. I sighed.

"Aragorn, you need to forgive yourself. It was an honest mistake." Again Aragorn shook his head, though he said nothing. "For the Valar's sake, Aragorn, it was a mistake we all made!"

"But she was counting on me!" He turned and yelled. "I promised her that she was safe and that she would be alright when she was not." Aragorn pounded his fist against the tree he was leaning on. "I should have looked for signs of the poison the goblins and orcs use on their weapons more carefully!"

"I should have as well! I have the same training in healing as you. Neither of us caught the signs. Nor did Gandalf." I tried to calm my voice. The last thing Aragorn needed was to be yelled at. He was already doing a magnificent job with wallowing in shame and self pity. I put my hand on Aragorn's shoulder. "Aragorn you must go to her."

"How can I face her when she knows that my negligence could have killed her?"

Somehow Aragorn always makes a situation sound worse than it normally is. Or perhaps it is simply that he speaks so plainly as it make is sound as such. "She does not know. We managed to convince the healer to not tell her of the poison. The only problems are within your mind." The truth was that none of us wanted to let Cait know lest Aragorn find out. I did not want my friend to feel even worse than he already did. I had felt badly not telling Cait. Part of her knew, I think, that there was more to the story. She was no simpleton, despite the odd speech and odd clothing.

Trying to convince Aragorn of something when he has made up his mind on a subject is like speaking to rock. If he ever fulfills his destiny as heir to the throne, woe betide his councilors. They will have more than enough work when the King has already made a decision. Neither one of us spoke for a long time.

"If I tell her, do you think she will still feel for me?"

I looked at Aragorn. His eyes were downcast and full of sorrow. So that was the true problem. Moreso than anger at himself for both of our shortcomings, he was afraid of losing her trust and her feelings towards him. I couldn't speak for her, not on this matter. While my intuitions had proven true on more than one occasion with the two already I knew that speaking for her was the worst I could do. "It is worse keeping secrets."

Aragorn turned then and looked at me. Our eyes met and I could see more hurt and humiliation than there should have been. "But what if..."

I cut him off, "Speak your fears to Cait, not me." Aragorn nodded, albeit reluctantly. "You are coming to the ball, are you not?"

"I suppose I must."

"The Halflings would be most disappointed if you did not."

A light smile played on Aragorn's lips. "Yes, you are right. As usual. If I am to go, I must find some suitable clothing."

* * *

(Cait's POV)

"We've got it!" Merry said, carrying a parcel nearly as large as he was.

"The merchants weren't happy that we were paying with all different currencies, but we convinced them it was for the best in the end." Pippin carried a much smaller parcel.

"What is all this?" I asked. I couldn't believe they got everyone to chip in and get me something. I didn't want to be any trouble for them but couldn't stop the excitement from showing.

"A dress, shoes, make up, perfume upon Legolas' suggestion, and a hair comb the merchant said matched the dress."

I grinned. I couldn't believe they did this for me. Slowly I unwrapped the parcel. The most beautiful dress I had ever seen came tumbling out.

"Go on, put it on!" Frodo said.

"Oh, you two. How could I ever thank you?"


	11. The Ball

_**Safe in Your Arms**_

**Chapter 11**

**The Ball**

(Aragorn's point of view)

Legolas had disappeared into the crowd of elves nearly as soon as we arrived at the ball and I lost my friend to the sea of people. The only way to tell where he had gone was the large sea of female elves who seemed to be flocking to one particular corner of the ballroom. Gimli seemed to think was incredibly entertaining and I knew he had a new subject with which to torture our friend. I am not sure when exactly it had happened, especially since I had been trying to remain a absent as possible the last few days, but something had changed between them. There was an unspoken understanding now between elf and dwarf. Arguments had turned to banter and prejudices had turned to light hearted jesting. Still, I was glad for the change.

Gimli and I made our way around the room, looking for any familiar faces. Here and there I would spot an elf I had met on my journeys. Besides Haldir and his brothers, I knew none of them well enough to call friend.

"Now if we were with the dwarfs it would be a feast we would attend! Nothing at all like a ball. Beer, meat, more food than you have ever seen." There was a certain amount of homesickness in Gimli's words and in his eyes that I didn't miss, though neither did I comment on it. A distraction was what he needed, not for me to play into his thoughts.

"A ball can be quite fun if you will but give it the chance."

Gimli shook his head, dismissing my words with the wave of a hand. "I'm not for dressing formally if there are no women-folk around to see me." I opened my mouth, but the words were stopped by Gimli adding, "And elf women don't count."

I laughed and shook my head. "Don't worry, Gimli, understand how you feel."

"And what is wrong with our women? If you do not mind me asking." An elf folded his arms across his chest, one eye brow raised at me. Not wanting to make enemies, I responded quickly.

"I simply meant that I wished my own... that the girl I gave my heart to was here beside me." I tried to cover my slip quickly, from the looks of it this elf was not accustomed or appreciative of outsiders. From the way the corners of the elf's mouth turned up, I knew that it didn't go unnoticed.

"Do you not even know where you stand with her?" I matched the look the elf gave me, but I was not seeing him at all. Cait. I hadn't even told her how I feel about her, how much I care about her. And now that there was a ball, she was resting from a wound that was worsened by my lack of attention and healing powers.

"Some things don't need to be spoken aloud, elf. Keep your thoughts to yourself next time." Gimli glared up at the elf, whose attention was now focused solely on him. I tried not to smile at Gimli's words lest they egg on the growing tension. But part of me was glad for what he said. At the very least it kept my spirits from falling any lower than they already were, though I don't know if it was possible for my spirits to be any lower.

My thoughts drifted away from the pair and to Cait. I knew that Legolas was right, that I should go to her. But the thought of having to tell her that it was my fault her condition worsened ate away me. How would she feel if she knew that? How would she feel if she knew the truth? This was not the discomfort I felt at knowing I had to bid farewell to Arwen. This was more than that. It was fear that I would be rejected, hated even for not being there for Cait when her life depended on it. It was fear that she had never felt as strongly for me as I did for her. And it was fear that I had allowed myself to fall so hard for the strange young woman that I would not be able to pull myself from the depths of despair if she, too, walked away.

"And are the trees not comfortable enough for you? They are more beautiful than plain rock, surely."

The sound of Gimli and the elf arguing brought me back to where I was. The last comment seemed to be the breaking point for Gimli. Whatever he said in response I didn't hear, because a crowd had begun to gather around us.

"What is the matter?" An elf asked me. I glanced at the newcomer and sighed. He did not seem angry, only curious.

"Simply old prejudices playing themselves out."

"Ah, I see."

Try as I may, there was no stopping the argument. I don't even think they realized I was still there, let alone heard me. Several more elves gathered to watch the spectacle. So far it was the most interesting thing which had happened at the ball.

* * *

(Cait's POV)

You'd think that it would be easy finding a dwarf and two men in the ballroom seeing as nearly everyone had blonde hair except for them, but unfortunately that was not the case. There were just so many people. Everywhere you turned there was another gown and unfamiliar face. And let me tell you it was a bit disconcerting to be in such a huge room of people and know virtually no one there. I stayed near the door and looked at the crowd uncertainly. I didn't really want to go walking around, make myself tired and wind up talking to someone I didn't particularly want to waist the energy on. But Boromir found me before that became a problem.

"You know, you look almost presentable in that."

Apparently Boromir was in as cheerful mood as ever.

"Thanks." From Boromir that translated into 'you look a princess'. "You wouldn't happen to know where anyone else is, do you?"

"What? Is my company not satisfactory?" Boromir folded his arms across his chest.

"It's just that I actually like to spend time with people who don't insult me every few seconds. That's all."

Boromir narrowed his eyes at me, which I admit I fully deserved. But I didn't really have the stamina for our games. He pointed behind him, towards the back wall. "Aragorn is trying to stop the elves from butchering Gimli."

I looked quizzically at Boromir but he didn't elaborate. I knew that the elves and the dwarves have always hated each other, but I didn't understand just how much until I got over to the far wall of the room. There were a lot of people crowded around, though they all looked to be watching something. At least they weren't ganging up on Gimli.

"For giving you refuge, dwarf, you are not a very grateful house guest."

"And for giving me refuge, Elf, you are not overly welcome!"

The elf glared down at Gimli and I was sure that he would have drawn his sword if he had been wearing one. A few of the elves glanced at each other with raised eyebrows.

"Peace!" Aragorn said, holding up his hands. But it was no use. Whatever they had said before I arrived had been topped off by that last comment. The elf balled up one fist and sent it crashing down on the top of Gimli's head. The dwarf simply proceeded to stomp on the elf's foot. Aragorn attempted to calm the elves and settle Gimli down but no one was listening to him.

"Would you cut it out!" I yelled. No response. They weren't hurting each other – just attempting to humiliate each other. It was more annoying than anything else. "Will you two stop it?" Gimli and the elf looked at me, suddenly angry with me for interrupting their spat. "God, you're both worse than six year olds."

"Miss, you don't rightly understand. This dwarf has insulted ..."

"Me?" Gimli interrupted. "You were the one that said..." The rest was lost to yelling and more insults. If this kept up there was going to be a brawl right there in the ballroom.

"This is completely ridiculous." I threw my hands up in frustration. Aragorn finally turned to look at me and stopped. "What?"

"You look beautiful."

And from the look in Aragorn's eyes I knew that he meant it. "Thanks," was all I managed in reply.

"Anyway," we both said at the same time.

"You seem to be picking up my habits," I smiled.

"Can't be helped sometimes." Aragorn watched me for a few seconds before continuing. "Come."

He offered me his arm, which I took, blushing. I still wasn't used to the prim and proper manners here. We walked away from the argument behind us and off onto one of the many balconies which seem to be everywhere in Lorien. Thousands of candles lit the stairs and walkways of Lorien. The entire forest seemed to glow in an ethereal light. It was magnificent. "It's so beautiful here," I said.

"It's quite hard to find anywhere better, I must say." Aragorn joined me at the rail of the balcony.

"But still," I mused aloud, looking up at the thousands upon thousands of stars visible in the gap of the tree line. "I wish the stars were the same." I could feel Aragorn's eyes on me, but I didn't turn to meet them. I leaned on the railing,

"Do you miss your home?"

"No. I mean," I sighed. "It's complicated, that's all." Aragorn didn't urge me on, but rather seemed to be waiting for me to continue when I felt ready. "I miss my grandparents. I miss my mother's apple pie. But I wasn't the most popular girl in school. So no, I suppose I don't miss home all that much."

Aragorn nodded. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but he looked like he wasn't seeing Lorien at all. This silence wasn't like others between us in the mines or traveling elsewhere. Aragorn didn't seem comfortable for some reason, which in turn made me nervous. I began thinking, which for me is usually a bad idea because for some reason I usually come to the wrong conclusions. And all I kept thinking about was how Aragorn had not come and seen me. Not even once.

What had I said? I know I have a big mouth sometimes, and it's gotten me into trouble with Boromir on more than one occasion, but what could I have said to make Aragorn's attitude change this quickly towards me? But maybe nothing had really changed. Maybe everything had been in my head from the start. Maybe this was all some sort of dream after all.

"Cait," he said softly. "I'm not the perfect man that you believe I am."

Whatever I had been expecting, it wasn't this. Aragorn didn't look at me, just over the balcony and down into a pretty little garden below us. But he sounded sad. "What? Where's this coming from all of a sudden?" Aragorn glanced at me and then away. He didn't speak immediately. "Aragorn?" I was beginning to grow worried. "Are you okay?"

"When you were stabbed I cleaned and bandaged the wound quickly. You had lost so much blood, I did not want the wound open any longer than need be. But I failed to look for signs of the orc's poison. It was that which caused you to become so weak." Aragorn's voice had gotten softer and softer as he spoke so that the last line was barely above a whisper.

"Well, I'm okay now." Aragorn still looked straight ahead though and seemed not hear me. "Look, Aragorn, you did your best."

"I did not," was the terse reply.

"I may not know much about medicine and healing and whatnot, but I do know that if you didn't bandage me up as fast as you did I probably would have bled to death. Aragorn," I laid a hand on his arm, "I don't blame you. You shouldn't blame yourself."

He sighed. "I should have seen..."

"Legolas knows healing too. And Gandalf knows everything. With your logic one of them should have done something too." Aragorn turned away from me again. Obviously, that didn't help matters. Me and my big mouth may have gotten me into trouble again. I walked around Aragorn so that I was facing him. I hate when people try to ignore me like that. I wasn't having any of it. But I took a deep breath. I shouldn't yell at Aragorn, he looked like he was just about ready to slit his wrists anyway. He's really got the self induced guilt trip thing pretty much covered. "Besides, you did carry most of the way. I think that makes things about even."

The ghost of a smile came to Aragorn's face. He looked down at me, almost afraid to believe what I said was true. Finally he said, "May I have this dance, my Lady."

I took that to mean that Aragorn had forgiven himself, or at least would soon, and smiled up at him. "Yes, my Lord. But I warn you, I don't know much about ballroom dancing."

* * *

(Legolas's point of view)

Aragorn had Cait in his arms, sweeping here across the dance floor. Well, half carried is more like it. Cait didn't seem to know any of the customary dances – I expect they are quite different where she came from. Half the time she trod on Aragorn's toes or else tripped over the long hem of her dress. It was good to see Aragorn laughing again. Valar knows we all have had very little to laugh over since the loss of Gandalf.

I bowed to the charming elf as the song ended. She curtsied and hurried off to find a new dancing partner. Obviously she was not privy to the knowledge that I am a Prince of Mirkwood, of which I am most grateful for, otherwise she would have done her best to make sure I stayed her partner. There was a growing gaggle of women in gowns who were gossiping behind their hands and doing their best to smile and catch my eye.

I didn't have time for that sort of thing, however. Since Aragorn was dancing with Cait it had become my job to make sure that Gimli didn't have another row with an elf and after two dances it was high time I found out what had become of him. I was half expecting to see him butchered up and served on the table of refreshments, but that was not so. It was Gimli who found me first. I suspect even he had grown weary of the bickering.

"Legolas, that lass there, what do you make of her?"

He pointed to where several elves were gathered discussing one matter or another. "Which one, Gimli? What does she look like?" I was beginning to understand what the Hobbits meant when they said that from their perspective many of the elves looked the same upon first glance. At least in Imladris some elves had black or dark brown hair and more individualistic features. In Lorien I believe more than ninety percent of the elves have varying shades of the same white gold hair.

"Behind them," he said when he noticed the direction I was gazing, "She's leaning against the wall. Dark hair. Very pretty. A bit familiar looking, if you know what I mean."

My breath caught in my throat. She looked so very sad standing there. She must have been heartbroken. I am ashamed to say that I hoped she didn't notice me watching her, for this was one matter that I did not want to be caught up in, despite whatever thoughts I may previously have had. But it seemed that fate had other plans for me. I was beginning to feel like a puppet of fate, along the for the journey by another's whim.

Arwen Undomiel visibly sighed and looked in my direction. All hope of blending in with the hundreds of other tall, blond elves was extinguished by the stocky dwarf at my side. She gave one last longing look at Aragorn and Cait and began picking her way through the crowd to me. "Who is that, Legolas? Her face is vaguely familiar."

"Arwen. She is Arwen Undomiel, the daughter of Lord Elrond."

Gimli said something under his breath in dwarfish.

"I hope you road was safer than ours, Lady Arwen." I said, making a slight bow. This was a formal event however, and despite being friends we were both of royal houses. Formalities had been driven into both of us at a very young age by our parents.

"I wish your journey had been easier, Legolas, though my father did warn you of the dangers you would face." She looked down at her hands. "Just as he warned me for many years."

I looked sideways at Gimli who raised his eyebrows. What was the Lady Arwen doing here? The last I had seen her was the day the fellowship left Imladris. She had told me she would be leaving the shores of Middle Earth with our kin. Yet now she stood before me, beautiful yet sad, the Evenstar shining feebly at the base of her neck. Though her face remained downturned I believe she had a tear in her eye – it was her voice which betrayed her. Perhaps she had only come to bid farewell to her grandmother before going across the sea. Perhaps we really all were just dancing on the strings of fate.

"I've heard of the strange girl who joined your company. They say that she is human, a daughter of kings, though not from this land."

I smiled in spite of the situation. Oh how Cait would scream at me if she ever found out that her slip of the tongue had gotten all the way to the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood. "It was thousands of years ago. She does not consider herself royalty."

"Much like another I know of." Arwen's eyes looked distant, as if she were watching something far in the past. "Excuse me, I must speak with my grandmother." She nodded at Gimli and I before floating past, disappearing into the sea of people once again.

"The poor lass." Gimli said.

"I fear for Arwen and Cait, for one will have their heart broken in the end." Gimli only grunted in reply. I looked over at Cait dancing, Aragorn trying to avoid her side which had only just healed. There was one other possibility, one which I did not wish to consider in the least. Cait was not skilled in battle, yet from everything I saw and from our conversations as she healed, I didn't believe that she would allow herself to be left behind. Not when she could potentially help the fellowship. But if she came, there could be a day when Aragorn and myself would not be able to reach her fast enough. Cait may not make it to the end of the story she knew.

Then again the same could be true for all of us.


	12. In the Starlight

_**Safe In Your Arms**_

**Chapter 12**

**In the Starlight  
**

(Aragorn's POV)

"You sure none of your toes are broken?" Cait asked, biting her lower lip. So she had heard that last attempt at stifling a yelp. I had not believed her when she said she didn't know any ballroom dancing. Most say such things when they are at a ball and do not want to disappoint their dancing partner. This time, however, it was the truth. She didn't know how to dance at all. At the very least, not properly for the ballroom dance floor. Although, there had been a some sort of a jig the hobbits began which Gwyn knew fairly well, or at least well enough follow.

"I have never met anyone who has never been to a ball before. At least, no one of our particular backgrounds."

I thought Cait was going to berate me for bringing up our kingly ancestors but she did not. She sighed. "Yeah, well. My grandparents were farmers. My mother's a school teacher and my father was killed in the war. Not exactly of the proper social standing for fancy balls thrown by the aristocrats. But you didn't answer my question."

Cait was beginning to lean on me more heavily now and I knew it wasn't because she didn't know the dance. Her wound was aching. It was time to stop. "All ten are perfectly fine. Do not worry so much, Cait. This is but a trivial thing."

"Only if you promise not to worry as well."

I spun her one last time. This, at least, she had gotten down well. I think it was more because she liked the feeling of being in my arms more than any real skill at dancing. She gave me a look that told me I had better give her the answer she wanted. I chuckled to myself. "Very well." She smiled at me, but waved a hand telling me she wanted to hear the whole thing. "I promise I shan't worry."

My worrying and refusal to talk had caused Cait, in turn, to worry over me. It was as Legolas had said, then. I needed to talk to her. The song ended and I took her hand, leading her off the dance floor. Cait didn't complain, but reached up for an arm to lean on. She was trying to make it look as if she was fine. I smiled. Despite her simple life as the daughter of a teacher and farmer turned warrior Cait had many inner qualities which echoed back to when her family was looked upon to lead. That is something you can never fully leave. It shall always haunt and follow, being expected to act a certain way because, once upon a time, you were royalty.

"By the way," she said, we went out onto the balcony once again, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, you needn't ask." I had replied immediately. I looked down at Cait and saw a timidness there I had not expected. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"Are we a thing?" She bit her lip.

From her body language I knew that what she was asking was very important to her. From speech I had no idea what she was trying to communicate. The speech barrier which sometimes cropped up was now risen at full force. And probably at the worst of times. I mulled over the phrase quickly but after several seconds Cait rephrased the statement, knowing didn't understand.

"I mean, are we together?"

That I understood. And it was something I had been taking for granted. We had been together constantly from time I had saved her life in the woods. Now we were resting in Lorien before continuing on the journey. Gandalf was no longer here to lead us and so the responsibilities of leader rested upon my shoulders. Boromir would raise a fit if I planned on bringing Cait along. But she would follow. I knew she would. She had the ability to help, if only because of her knowledge. We had described it as foresight to Galadriel, though I expect she knew the truth of it.

"I would like for us to be a couple, Cait." I truly didn't know how I was going to answer. Logic said I had to continue on, alone, until my duty was completed. But matters of the heart are so very illogical that it is nearly impossible to see them that way. Cait's shoulders sank and she leaned her back against the railing, looking at the floor. She thought I was going to say goodbye.

I paused again. And in that half second of silent I heard a muffled, half sob. Cait turned her head ever so slightly away from me. I think it was then my heart started to break. "Please don't cry." I walked closer to her and put my hand on her back. "Cait, I'm not," but she turned and yelled at me, with tears in her eyes.

"Would you just give me straight answer? If you don't ..." but she stopped, took a breath, and began again. "If you don't..." She looked away.

She couldn't say it. And I couldn't blame her. _If you don't love me_. It's what she had had meant. I didn't need foresight to know that. "But I do."

I hadn't realized I said the words aloud until Cait's face whipped back towards me. "What?" she asked, to afraid to hope too much.

"I don't want to end this before its begun. Because I do..." And suddenly the words stuck in my throat. Love wasn't a word you simply threw around. It was something I learned only recently. Now that I was afraid she would not feel the same, or else think me too forward, I couldn't say it out loud. It was exactly what the old always said of the young. It was the fear of rejection which stopped me.

"It's only, I cannot ask your father for permission to court you. Also..."

But Cait laughed, which stopped me dead. I was a bit hurt by this, but I knew she didn't mean to insult me. "Aragorn, things really aren't done that way where I come from. Well," she cocked her head to the side, thinking hard, "Not really. Besides, my father's dead and I don't think I'm ever going to see my grandpa again."

It sounded so very harsh when she put it that way. Yet what she said was true. There was very little chance of Cait ever getting back to wherever it was she came from. And, in a way, part of me was glad for this, though I would never say so. "Yes, this is true. But we are also trying to help Frodo in his quest. We may get," I struggled to find the right word, "_distracted_, which could be potentially problematic for the fellowship and our mission."

Cait turned away from me. I was afraid I had made her cry, fully this time, and not the misty eyes she had been trying to hide. "Don't you think it would be more distracting if we weren't together? We'd be with each other every day without being able to tell each other how we felt... And don't you dare tell me that I should stay here." Cait turned around again and wagged a finger at me. "There are things I can help with that no one else can. Aragorn,"

"Cait," I cut her off. "I care more about you than perhaps is wise, having met you so recently. I...truly care for you. And you're correct of course. It would be much more distracting if I had to watch you and yet could not call you my own."

Cait smiled. "Does this mean we're officially a couple?" She tried to keep the growing excitement out of her voice, but was failing badly.

"If you shall agree to the arrangement. I have never gone about it quite this way." I scratched my chin.

"Agree? I practically had to talk you into it." Cait stepped closer to me and stretched out a hand. I grasped it in one of my larger hands. I pulled Cait closer, so that we were almost touching. I chuckled.

"Is that a yes?" I asked, even though I knew the answer. Cait grinned mischievously and tilted her head up so that she was looking directly into my eyes.

"What do you think?"

I smiled back and leaned down. She closed the gap between us by standing on her toes. And then our lips were touching, as I had wished they would all night as we were dancing. But we weren't dancing slowly in a ballroom. It was better than that. We were standing in the treetops underneath the moon and the stars.

* * *

(Legolas's point of view)

I knew that Arwen must be somewhere in the nearby vicinity. I had seen an elf with black hair and since there are quite few elves with dark hair in Lorien I knew it must be her. I needed to speak with her. What exactly I could say to alleviative her of some of her grief I didn't yet know. But still I had to, even if it just to make myself feel better.

It hadn't been easy getting away from the ball. Many of the young ladies stared after me, confused as to why I was leaving so early and a bit disappointed that they would not get the chance to dance with me. I have to admit that while some were delightful company, others seemed to forget that I am indeed a person and not something to ogle. If I had to choose between being stuck somewhere with Gimli or the lot of women at the ball I would choose the dwarf without a second thought.

The only woman I wanted the company of at the moment was the one who was deliberately trying not to be found. It's odd how the world always seems to work that way. Finally I found her in one of the many gardens of Lorien, sitting on an old swing tied to the limbs of an ancient tree. No doubt it was put there by some elf child who had long since grown to adult hood. Arwen's feet dangled slightly above the grass as her head rested against the arm she had entwined in the rope.

"Arwen," I began before I remembered that I had not quite planned what it was that I was going to say once I found her. "Are you alright?"

Not quite how I wanted to come off. However, I don't think she heard me for I was ignored completely. Then again, Arwen was most likely hoping that if she didn't give a response I would leave her in peace. But one thing I have learned over my many long years is that when you wish to be left alone is usually the time when you need your friends and family the most. I decided to try one more time at conversation before giving up.

"_I was disappointed when you left so suddenly, Lady Arwen."_ Arwen looked up, somewhat startled, before recognizing me. Perhaps she hadn't been paying attention and, upon hearing common speech, assumed it had been Aragorn.

"_Why is that, Lord Legolas?"_ she asked, not quite meeting my gaze. I ignored the use of my title. Usually it was said only to insult or somehow injure my pride.

"_Because,"_ I said, _"I had not yet had the opportunity to dance with you and I was looking forward to the chance."_ It wasn't a lie, either.

Arwen smiled finally, sweet and sad. _"I'm sorry, Legolas. I don't quite feel like dancing." _Taking my chances I sat beside her on the wide swing. I was afraid Arwen would simply leave again, as she did before, but this time she stayed. _"Legolas,"_ she began after some time, _"Why is it that Aragorn is so taken with her?"_

I sighed. This question was to be expected, but I still didn't wish to tell her. _"Well,"_ I began slowly, _"Aragorn was searching for someone similar himself. Someone who could truly understand how he feels. In Cait, he has met someone who is very much like him – at least in some respects – though he may not realize this himself."_

"_How so?"_ Arwen knew what it was I meant. I could tell from the look in her eyes. She only needed to hear it aloud, and, maybe, with time she could move on.

"_Both are descended from Kings of old. Neither want to become the King or Queen they were born to be and have the potential of becoming. Both hide this from most. Cait nearly took Aragorn and my heads when we told the rest of the Fellowship she was a daughter of kings."_ I chuckled at the memory. That day seemed to be so long ago, though I knew it was but a few weeks prior.

"_No family, holding secrets, afraid of their destiny... Perhaps you are right, Legolas." _

It sounded rather dark when Arwen put it that way, but she was correct after all. _"Arwen, there is something that plagues my mind which I must ask you." _She nodded for me to continue. _"Why did you come back? I understand that you miss Aragorn, but I thought you were the one to first say farewell?" _

"_I was,"_ Arwen admitted. _"I didn't go on the ship sailing across the sea because I still had hope. Perhaps I had too much hope. I needed to know if Aragorn had moved on or if he was still lost in the past, like myself. It seems, though, that he has continued on without me." _

"_Aragorn moved on because he had to. The circumstances ..." _

"_I understand now, Legolas. Perhaps it simply wasn't meant to be..." _The moonlight made Arwen's hair shimmer as she ran a hand through the long dark locks.

"_There could be someone even better waiting for you, you know, my Lady,"_ I said, leaning closer confidentially.

"_Oh? And where will I find such a man, my Lord?"_ She smiled again, and this time it reached her eyes, though just barely.

I simply grinned in lieu of a reply. Arwen needed to heal more before I could continue this conversation with good faith. Taking another chance I cleared my throat. _"Arwen, may I have this dance?" _

I stood and extended my hand for her to take. She looked at my hand a long minute before responding. _"Alright, Legolas, you may have this dance."_

_

* * *

_

(Cait's point of view)

"Enough, Boromir, this is not your decision to make." Aragorn was trying very hard not to raise his voice and it was barely working. None of us could blame him though. I think everyone was just about ready to shout at Boromir.

"Your judgment is clouded by your feelings. You would rather have her at your side than make sure of her safety." Boromir didn't know that I had just walked up behind the arguing pair, otherwise he may have said something even meaner. He probably hated Aragorn just as much as he hated me, but unlike Aragorn I wasn't an expert on battle techniques and wasn't armed.

"Cait's coming because she wants to help," Sam piped up. Good old Sam, you could always count on him. He was right, too. I did want to help. But Boromir's judgment was too clouded by the ring to see that. From what I could tell, and from what the hobbits had told me, Boromir was rapidly losing touch with reality and going further into the dark places of his own mind. Frodo had been trying to avoid him at first, but that was made much easier after the ball when Boromir seemed to disappear for hours and only returning for sleep.

Do you all really think that one woman barely of age can make that much of a difference?" Boromir's voice rose. "She learned things from stories. Stories! What makes you so sure that the stories are the same. Over many years the tales change because people forget the details – some of which are important enough to make all the difference in battle."

"Battle's not my expertise. I'm leaving that part to you." I sat next to Merry and Pippin who were playing some kind of card game, but I couldn't figure out what it was. There was a heap of coins between them and from the looks of it Pippin was winning quite a bit from Merry.

"Do you really believe you can make a difference with no real skill except knowing your tales and your history?" Boromir spoke in a low, threatening voice.

"I hope I can. And that's the main thing, isn't it? As long as there's still hope, you always have a chance." Frodo caught my eye and smiled. At least one person was on my side. And it was Frodo, who had great sway over the Fellowship even though Aragorn had become our leader through some sort of unspoken agreement. Well, except for Boromir maybe. He didn't seem to be agreeing to anything lately.

Boromir glared at me before stalking off.

"How are we supposed to get anything done with Boromir fighting with you all the time?" Gimli asked me.

"Me?" I said, slightly offended. "Boromir's been arguing with anyone who breaths different than he does lately." Yeesh, why is everything always my fault?

"We must learn how to control our own tempers, even if Boromir cannot control his own." Legolas looked from Gimli to me and back again. "Yes?"

"Yeah, okay," I mumbled. Gimli only grunted but it didn't sound like one of his mean grunt – growls so I figured that was a yes.

"So when exactly are we leaving?" Pip asked, scooping another pile of money towards him.

"In a week's time, possible two," Aragorn answered. "It depends on how quickly Cait's wound continues to heal."

Good thing Boromir wasn't here or otherwise we'd probably get into another argument on how I'm not a little pansy girl again. I swear that man drives me absolutely crazy – and in the bad kind of way. I'm sure that by the time this is all over I'll have contemplated at least 20 different was to kill Boromir and make it look like an accident – and get away with it.

"Legolas, where are you going?" Frodo asked as Legolas did that elf thing where he walks away absolutely silently.

Legolas smiled. "Don't worry, Frodo. I'll be back before sundown." And with that he was gone. Again.

"Damn elf," Gimli grumbled, "He gets to be in a place as close to his home as he can get. And look at the rest of us. No sight of home in the near or distant future for me."

"Why, Gimli, I do believe that you are homesick."

Gimli said something inaudible and walked away.

"You'd better get some rest, Miss Cait," Sam said in a fatherly sort of way. "The sooner you get well, the sooner we can travel and the sooner Boromir may become a little more friendly."

"Alright," I consented, "But I don't think that Boromir will _ever_ be that overly friendly."

* * *

(Legolas's point of view)

I felt somewhat guilty not telling any of the Fellowship of Arwen's appearance, yet at the same time it was on a need to know basis with Aragorn, or maybe Cait come to think of it, at the top and Boromir at the very end. But things were simpler if Aragorn did not know. Besides, I am a prince and learned the art of talking circles around people if necessary – though this was made much more difficult with Aragorn as my friend, as he was used to such things as well.

"_And how are you feeling today, Arwen?"_

Arwen smiled. _"Much better than before, thank you. And yourself?"_

"All the better for hearing that." I paused, not quite sure how I was going to pose my next question. She had gone back to speaking as if I were a prince from another land and not a friend of hers. Well, I was a prince from a foriegn land, but Arwen was one of the only people who acknowledged that on any regular basis. And it was Arwen who I didn't particularly want to act as such. _"Arwen,"_ I began slowly, "_What are you going to do now? Sail across the sea?"_

I held my breath waiting for the answer. I had already said goodbye to many I knew. She thought on this for a long moment. _"No,"_ she said softly. _"No I think not – not yet at least. I feel as if my path remains in Middle Earth for the time being." _

"_All out paths are tied to the ring now. The freedom of Middle Earth rests on Frodo's shoulders. We all must help in any way we can." _

Arwen nodded_. "Your brother and your father are on your side, though I doubt they hold much more hope than my father in Imladris."_

I smiled, suddenly seeing where Arwen's path may lead, though I do not have the powers of foresight like Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel. _"You are royalty of both Imladris and Lorien. The people will listen to you. And you have more hope than many elves."_ Arwen grinned, and smiled back. _"We are going to need you before the end, Arwen." _

"_I'll try to rally the elves spirits, though I don't know if I will come to any success. You'll need much aid in the end. Gondor cannot stand alone." _

"_With you and your brothers working behind the scenes, to borrow a phrase, I doubt Gondor will be alone. Get word to all those who are willing to help. I fear that the end is closer than we think." _

_

* * *

_

(Cait's POV)

I couldn't sleep that night. I thought I would be able to. It had been a good few days since the ball and everything was going pretty well. Boromir was back to giving me the silent treatment. Frodo's spirits were beginning to lift. My wound was healing well, all things considered. And Aragorn had said that we were together. But over and over again I saw the events which I knew were to come in my mind.

It wasn't like I could tell anyone. I didn't want them to worry too, for one thing. Why make more people have restless nights? So I decided to go 'walk the gardens' as it was being called. Maybe I'd find Legolas who kept disappearing on us. Part of me wanted to get lost. Just loose myself in the magnificent beauty of all that was around me and forget the troubles of knowing what's going to happen. But I still couldn't forget, not really. That was the entire reason that they needed me.

One garden simply melded into another. I wasn't even sure if they were planned gardens anymore or if the forest was just this beautiful. Everything seemed to glow even though there weren't very many candles and I was pretty sure the moonlight couldn't reach this far down.

I hadn't realized anyone had been talking until the sound had stopped. I looked up and saw Galadriel and Aragorn. Galadriel was standing by a basin of water looking all regal and mystical. Aragorn on the other hand didn't quite meet my eyes. "I'm sorry," I began, "I didn't realize anyone was..."

"Do not apologize, child. I wish to speak with you." Even though Galadriel smiled at me I couldn't help but feel like she was judging me silently. "Do you know what this is?" She motioned towards the basin of water. An ancient looking pitcher was sitting beside it.

"The Mirror of Galadriel. At least that's what I know it as."

"It is as good a name as any." Galadriel smiled. "Would you like to look into its waters?"

I glanced at the pool for a moment. Water sparkled in the moonlight. My mind once again turned to what I knew was to come. I smiled slightly. "No thanks. I'm good."

Galadriel's face went blank. "Are you frightened?"

I opened my mouth to respond but nothing came out at first. I glanced at Aragorn but he was still looking away. "Of course I am. I'd be retarded not to be. You both are too."

Galadriel's jaw hardened. Aragorn cleared his throat. I looked towards him and saw him shake his head slightly. Guess that means I shouldn't be speaking that way to her. Too late now though. Galadriel looked mad, which was more than a little disconcerting. She was a witch after all. "You think you are above the tides of fate?"

"I don't believe in fate." Galadriel raised an eyebrow but I wasn't sure if it was because of my glare or what I said. "I don't believe our lives are all mapped out for us. The fact that I'm here and wasn't in the story I know of this place at all is reason enough to believe that, right? All you do with that mirror is trick people into seeing either what they already know, what they're afraid of, or what they wish is true. I don't need a mirror to show me any of those things."

I stood there panting after my tirade. I felt better getting that all out. I just wished it hadn't happened in front of Elvin witch queen.

"I can understand your feelings, Cait, though I may not agree with your sentiments. Time shall prove which of us are correct." Galadriel was looking at me with a much kinder expression now. I smiled a little in return.

"Yeah." I replied. It was beginning to dawn on me who I was talking to and just how powerful and important she was. "By the way, which way is back to camp?"

Aragorn grinned, chuckling. "Come. I shall show you the way."

I took the arm he offered me. I glanced behind us at Galadriel. She smiled and nodded.


	13. Taming the River

_**Safe In Your Arms**_

**Chapter 13 **

**Taming the River**

(Cait's point of view)

I thought that traveling along the river would calm everyone's nerves. The river was wide and slow moving. Forested hills rose up from the banks of the river. It was a very beautiful backdrop made even more beautiful with the setting sun casting red and gold streaks across the sky and the gentle lap of the water against the shore and the hull of the boats.

But whatever notions I had of the river calming my companion's nerves was hopelessly naive.

The hobbits weren't exactly thrilled that we were on the river. Frodo could swim well enough in a pinch but poor Sam was terrified. At least at first. He got a bit better about it as the days went on. Legolas on the other hand was still unreasonably happy about being so close to an elf city. Which Gimli wasn't all too pleased about. After living in the trees for close to a month and then being stuck on a boat, Gimli was just about as far out of his element as he could get.

Boromir on the other hand took every minute of every day to complain. First it was that we shouldn't be on the water, but go a different route. Then it was we never should have gone through Moria and Lorien to begin with, blah blah blah. And when he wasn't complaining about that he was complaining about me or else just trying to make my life miserable in general. He didn't even notice that we were being followed by a band of Uruk Hai.

Not that I could see them either. But Aragorn and Legolas certainly did.

They kept glancing into the woods and giving each other furtive looks when they thought that no one was watching. Or else maybe they figured I already knew – which I did – so they didn't have to be as secretive. At least the hobbits didn't seem to realize that anything was amiss yet. I'm not so sure about Gimli though. He always seemed to know more that he let on.

I fished around in the little pack I was given, more for something to do than anything else. A little combe and a bar of soap were pretty much the only things in there. And a whole lot of lembas. I really wished that we had gotten something tastier to eat than lembas bread. I mean sure, it was healthy and filled you up and gave us plenty of spare room in our packs. Only a bite would fill you up too which was unlucky for the hobbits who all really liked to eat. Unfortunately that was our breakfast every morning because Aragorn wanted to get right out on the river to make as much progress as possible. I understand the logic in that but, really, did lembas have to have no flavor at all? Well, Legolas seemed to enjoy it at the very least. So maybe it was just me.

But from the look Pippin was giving the stuff, maybe not. He looked over at me and held his lembas up in air. "Cheers," he said, taking a bite.

I held up mine in return, chuckling. Dumping the stuff back in pack, I caught sight of my ring. It was small and silver with a crouching dragon etched into a light colored stone. I smiled a bit, thinking of Lorien. Turns out Galadriel isn't all that bad.

(Flashback)

_I watched as Gimli held the few strands of Galadriel's hair close to him. Legolas was smiling at him in a knowing way. The Queen turned to me and smiled softly. _

_"I admit I was unsure of what gift I should bestow upon you as well, Lady Cait," Galadriel said, acting very formal. "And then I found this."_

_She held a small box out to me which I opened slowly. I only stared agape at it for a moment. I looked up at Galadriel, disbelief on my face. "It reminded me a bit of your spirit." I looked down at the small silver ring. A whiteish colored stone was set into the light silver surface. Etched into its face was a crouching dragon, its wings half unfurled. I wasn't sure why a dragon reminded Galadriel of me, I don't really feel dragon-like, but I was grateful all the same. _

_"Thank you," I said softly. "The dragons a lot like the one on the Welsh flag." I smiled looking up at her again. She had a knowing sort of look on her face that I couldn't quite place. "It means a lot to me." _

_"They would be very proud of you, I think." _

_And with that Galadriel had moved on to Frodo. _

I turned around to talk to Frodo and Aragorn, but got stuck in my cloak halfway. Frodo started laughing and Aragorn was doing his best to suppress a laugh. It was very nice and thoughtful of Lady Galadriel to give these to all of us. And I know that they would come in useful at some point later. But for someone like me who has never used a cloak in her entire life it was a royal pain. It stayed on, but I couldn't move that well in it. But it did make a nice blanket at night, so at least I was a little grateful.

"I wasn't as clumsy even when I was child," Boromir said without looking at me.

"According to you I still am a child. So I think that's pretty fitting. Don't you?" I gave Boromir a fake smile. He simply glared at me.

I could feel rather than see the warning look I was getting from Aragorn. I glanced behind me. Sure enough Aragorn was watching me. He shook his head almost imperceptibly. Boromir seemed to be getting more and more unreasonable as time went on. He didn't need my help getting worse.

And it scared me.

I knew what the ring could and would do to him. I didn't exactly know what Boromir's internal struggle was. I don't think any of us could completely understand it, besides Frodo maybe. But we could all see what it was doing to him. I tried not to egg him on. I really, really did. But it was getting harder because Boromir seemed to be seeking me out to insult instead of simply insulting me when it was convenient for him, like before. Aragorn was watching him more intently now than ever before. Gimli was wary of him, not saying much to the Gondorian but keeping his axe close all the same.

"We should stop for the night," Legolas called from the boat ahead of us.

Aragorn grunted in agreement. "That piece of shore up ahead."

Legolas must have already spotted the shore that looked to be more rock than sand for no sooner had Aragorn said the word than Legolas had his boat turned and moving in that direction. I saw Aragorn glance to the right at the opposite shore.

"What is it, Aragorn?" I asked.

He paused for a moment before speaking. "Nothing for immediate worry."

He caught my eye for a long second. The fear which I had been trying to keep at bay in the back of my mind became just a little more real. It must have shown in my eyes with the look on Aragorn's face. Aragorn said nothing more though.

The boat was jostled as it ground against the rocky lake bottom. Frodo hopped out of the boat first, barely getting his hairy feet wet. Aragorn and I walked up to the front of the boat so not to get our boots wet. Because once those socks are wet you are pretty miserable. They never dry.

It's really amazing just how quickly camp is set up every night. In no time at all Gimli had a fire going with enough firewood for the night and then some stacked nearby. The hobbits were sitting on their blankets chatting and Legolas had already stalked off to shoot something for supper. There was nearly a revolt the previous night when Legolas suggested that we only have Lembas for dinner. The hobbits didn't take to kindly to that. Neither did I for that matter.

* * *

(Aragorn's POV)

I sat on a boulder near the shore staring out at the reflection of stars in the water. The others were having a supper of whatever Legolas had scared up in the forest tonight. I wasn't planning on eating supper with the others for there were more immediate worries on my mind that night. I only puffed on my pipe, thinking of the Uruk Hai following us on the oppose shore. They were there somewhere, though I couldn't see them. I didn't like stopping in the night. Even with watches we were little more than sitting ducks. If they managed to cross the water with none of knowing, there would be little we could do, save flee.

Voices floated from the campfire behind me. I could feel Cait watching me though. Soon I heard footsteps and knew it was she making her way towards me.

"Hungry?" Cait held out a plate of venison and local mushrooms for me. I looked down at the plate, taking the pipe from my mouth and laying it to one side on the boulder.

"Not particularly," I said, truthfully, taking the plate anyway.

I picked at the food while continuing to stare out across the river. Cait sat next to me. She didn't say anything, only waited for me voice my worries. Though it doesn't appear so when you first meet her, Cait has great patience when the time calls for it. Well, barring Boromir, though we were all having issues with the Gondorian now.

"I fear we are being followed on the opposite shore." I said at length.

Cait nodded. "I know."

"And yet that isn't the least of my fears." I paused, trying to pick the right words. "The Ring's hold on Boromir seems to be growing by the hour. It will only be a matter of time before he turns on one of us. And I don't know how to prevent it from happening." I tossed the plate of food on the ground before me, partly from frustration and partly because I truly wasn't hungry.

"Boromir has to find the strength to fight off the Ring himself," Cait said, sounding older than her years.

"Still, it is my job to ensure the protection of the company. I can't allow Boromir to hurt anyone."

"Yeah, but you can't just go and tie him up and gag him either, no matter how much I'd love to see it." Cait smiled, no doubt picturing the sight. "Aragorn, really, you can't worry like this. You'll give yourself an ulcer."

I smiled a bit in spite of the situation. Cait pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. She stared out across the water, hair falling over one shoulder. I tried not to stare, at least not overtly. Yet the firelight reflecting off her skin and hair made her so beautiful. I was glad Cait had talked me into our little agreement back in Lorien. It would have been torturous not to be able to call her my own spending so much time with her.

"I believe it is your turn to express your feelings now," I said, prompting what I was sure was going to be her fears of the coming journey as well.

It was something we were all feeling, yet none of us would ever discuss our fears in a group. In the night, though, when everyone was supposed to be asleep you would hear the hobbits whispering to one another. And I'm sure that Gimli and Legolas confided in each other as well, despite the first hostilities.

"The river reminds me of the one in the woods near my grandparent's farm." Cait didn't look at me as she spoke in hushed tones.

Whatever I had been expecting Cait to say, this wasn't it.

I put the plate down on the bank of the river. I wrapped my arm around Cait. She picked her head up off her knees and rested it on my shoulder. We stared out at the water reflecting the stars and moon on the glass like surface.

And for a moment, despite being chased by dark creatures, inner thoughts, and the Eye itself I was at complete and total peace.


	14. Battle at the River

**_Safe In Your Arms_**

**Chapter 14**

**Battle at the River**

(Aragorn's POV)

Cait had fallen asleep. The sun was making all of us drowsy after many hours in the boats with the glare reflecting off the water. Cait in particular was more susceptible, mostly because of her only just having recovered. Though she would never admit anything of the sort aloud. I let her sleep. Frodo, Merry and I rowed.

We had passed the statues of the kings not long ago. Despite the early hour the company would be stopping soon. What with the waterfall in front of us, it was better if we stopped for rest and food before continuing on foot. Even Boromir did not openly complain about the turn of events. All were glad for a slower pace for a day, which was a very rare occurrence. I had hoped that we would reach this section of the river by evening, so that we could simply camp here for the night before continuing on foot. But we had been making exceptionally good time thus far and that was not to be.

I watched the shore warily as we neared our landing point. I had not noticed any bodies in the trees today, moving with us as we paddled upriver. The orcs had been stealthier than I had given them credit for during our journey. The hobbits hadn't noticed anything in the trees for quite some time, but now, I think, Sam at least had seen them. Or else he simply didn't trust the shore. Sam's instincts sometimes told him more than his eyes, and they were seldom wrong.

Legolas shook his head slightly, and I turned my canoe, currently ahead of the others, towards a bit of shore sandier and more sheltered than other parts. My fears were somewhat abated knowing that Legolas' elf eyes had not seen any orcs patrolling this shore. Looking to my left, I saw movement all along the eastern shore. The orcs were about. We would have to keep close watch. Either the orcs had patrols on both shores now or else they had crossed the river without the company any the wiser.

Neither situation was to my liking.

The canoe scrapped the bottom of the river. It was sandier here than it had been in some of our previous camping places. We dug our paddles into the sand and pushed, trying to bring the canoe as close to dry land as possible. Mud clouded the otherwise still, clear water. As much as Boromir thought this was specifically for Cait not having to get wet feet, I didn't much like the sensation of wet socks sticking to my feet either.

Cait stirred. Raising herself up just enough to see over the top of the canoe, she looked out, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Shit!" she yelled loudly, scrambling about. The canoe would have threatened to tip over if we had not already been embanked.

"What is it, Cait?" Merry asked, looking down at the confused girl in the bottom of the boat.

"There's a freaking waterfall!" Cait started to explain as if Merry and the rest of us were blind and unaware of the danger. But she stopped midsentence when Boromir's canoe glided next to mine.

"Do you wish for me to push you over, Princess?" Boromir said, sounding kinder in his taunting than he had recently. He didn't look at her as he spoke, but instead gathered the supplies from the bottom of the boat. I noticed that he too had tried to bring the canoe as close to dry land as possible as well despite his earlier griping at me. I didn't say anything to him, though. It wouldn't do for me not to follow my own advice. One looses credit as a leader incredibly quickly in this way.

Cait glared at Boromir, but didn't respond. She was most likely too tired. Instead she asked no one in particular, "What's the time?"

"Mid afternoon," I responded. I began tossing the supplies in the back half of the canoe to Merry who was threw them to Frodo who was on the shore.

"Really?" Cait said, disbelievingly. "You should have woken me up."

"Yes, you should have." Boromir said, glaring back at us.

Cait and I exchanged glances. "Knew the quiet was too good to be true," Cait said. Merry laughed. Boromir only scowled deeper and was about to retort when Pippin, either knowingly or unknowingly, aptly changed the subject.

"Common' Sam," Pippin yelled from the boat Legolas and Gimli had just steered to shore. "Let's get supper going."

"It's not quiet supper time yet, Pip," Sam said, while getting the pots out just the same.

"Well, my stomach says that it's time for a meal. And what with missing all the usual meals except for breakfast and supper, and lunch on a good day, it's no wonder that I'm as hungry as I am."

"Can't argue that." Sam said.

He began clearing a section of ground of all brush and twigs in order to build a fire. Pippin quickly joined. The canoes were mostly unpacked by now. Most everyone were unraveling their blankets and making themselves comfortable. Gimli was laying on his blanket, back against a stone wall and smoking his pipe, before the rest of us were only half settled in. I was down at the river's edge tying up the boats. It would do no good if the canoes floated away while no one was watching. From behind me I caught Frodo saying something about getting the firewood.

Legolas walked up silently and began knotting one of the ropes securing the boat. He was watching the opposite shore as he worked, as was I. The orcs weren't moving about now as they had been when we were on the river, yet I found no comfort in the ceasing of their usual activities.

"The orcs watch us from the eastern shore," I said, voicing aloud what we had not yet openly spoke of.

Legolas frowned slightly. "The eastern shore is not what is worrying me."

He looked over towards our campsite. My eyes followed. I scanned the crowd quickly, and frowned. Something wasn't right, but at first glance I could not figure out just what that was. I walked up towards my pack, with the intent to unwrap my bedding, which I now think back on with irony.

"Where's Frodo?" Merry asked, looking around the campsite.

"Said something about getting the firewood," Cait said, stretching out. "I'm sure he'll be right back."

"But where's Boromir?" I asked.

The company froze. No one spoke for a long moment. No one had an answer. Boromir had slipped away unnoticed, just as he had when we were in Lorien. The company looked at one another, the worry for Frodo clear on all of our faces. I began walking through camp towards the woods. Suddenly Cait was by my side, gripping my arm.

"Aragorn," she began, worry written on her face.

I cut her off. "Stay here and watch for Frodo's return. If Boromir returns to camp first make sure that you keep him here, understand?" I said, sounding more like a commander than a lover.

Cait shook her head, looking even more worried. "Aragorn, I'm coming with you."

"I need you to stay here and watch for their return." Cait looked at me hard, folding her arms across her chest. "The orcs are silent. I fear an attack. Watch the waters. Orcs may begin crossing from the opposite shore. Watch for Frodo's return. We need to be ready. Be my eyes. Promise me."

After a long moment Cait nodded in agreement. "I promise," she said.

* * *

(Cait's point of view)

I wrapped my arms around myself as I watched Aragorn run into the woods looking for Frodo and Boromir. It was hard watching him run into the forest like that. I knew what was to happen and only now understood how much of a curse it was. That and the fact that a few things had changed since my time with the Fellowship. I remembered this part of the story. I remembered how Boromir tried to take the ring. How the orcs attacked and Merry and Pippin were taken captive when Boromir died. I imagined Frodo and Boromir arguing right this minute. Of Aragorn running to stop what we all feared from happening.

But what if things changed?

There was nothing that could guarantee something wouldn't change for the worse.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. What good would I be if I was too afraid to help anyone? Just because things weren't happing exactly as wrote, so to speak, didn't mean that anything worse had to happen.

Right?

Legolas and Gimli saw just how worried I was. I was staring at the woods where Aragorn had left me standing. I was listening for the sounds of fighting. Though what I was going to do if I heard them I hadn't figured out yet. I could feel everyone's eyes on me. Gimli began telling a tale of one of his adventures soon after Aragorn had left. But it was a halfhearted attempt and we were all worried as it was. At this point it wasn't worth trying to deny everyone's fears.

"I'm going after them as well." Legolas said, as Gimli finished his story. "It has already been too long."

The elf picked up his bow and strung it. Legolas walked through the camp towards where I was standing. All eyes were on him.

"Watch the eastern shore. And wait for Frodo. He will return here." Legolas told me. I nodded. I knew marching orders when I heard them. I wouldn't run off.

Besides I was too scared to go out in the woods anyway. Even with an expert marksman. Or markself.

It was deathly quiet in camp. I walked down by the river and looked towards the opposite shore. If I was supposed to be watching that shore for them then it would do no good looking into the woods. Besides, I couldn't see anything anyway. It was true what they said about not being able to see the forest because of all the trees.

It wasn't long before a shout rent the air. The sound was inhuman, higher pitched than anyone in our company and wailing. The call was echoed by many more voices. The hobbits started, eyes wide with fright. Gimli unsheathed his axe.

"Stay here and protect the hobbits."

He ran with short strides into the forest. There was silence for a few seconds. Then we heard Gimli shout out his battle cry followed by several yelps and screams. I smiled in spite of the situation. It didn't sound as if any orcs were going to make it to the camp. Still, I might as well be prepared for everything and everything. I grabbed a small sword, or very long dagger – I'm not quite sure which it was – from where I had spread out my things. Nothing could be seen on the eastern shore. I turned my attention back to the woods which seemed much more immediate.

"Hey, where are you going?" I yelled at Pippin and Merry. They were already beyond out campsite, sneaking from tree to tree.

"Looking for Frodo. Sounds like everyone else is a bit preoccupied," Merry said.

"No!" I yelled, slightly panicking. "You don't understand, you have to stay here."

Pippin looked at me like I was crazy. "But he's our cousin, Cait. You have to understand. We need to make sure he's alright." Pippin looked and sounded more worried than I had yet heard him.

Merry looked at me hard. Our eyes met and I could feel him judging me. "Just make sure you stay hidden," I said. I wasn't going to lecture them on how hobbits couldn't fight like elves or men. Not only was it pointless because I knew they wouldn't listen, but I was in the same predicament of not exactly being in tip top shape and not really understanding how to properly fight in hand to hand combat.

"We will," Merry said. Pippin turned and ran, ducking from tree to tree. Merry looked at me for a second longer, trying to judge what I knew to be happening, before following his cousin.

I sighed. I picked up the sword I had gotten in Lorien. The shouts and clangs of metal weren't as concentrated as they were before. The orcs seemed to have broken into at least two different groups from what I could hear, maybe even three. The sounds of Gimli fighting could no longer be heard at once reassuring and disconcerting.

"I'm going too."

I was startled by the sound. I had kind of forgotten about Sam. But there he was, looking at me in such a way that made me uncomfortable.

"You stay here and wait for him, Miss Cait. You let nothing happen to him if you can help it," said the worried Sam.

"I promise, Sam." I watched as he picked his way through the brush. Sam started in the opposite direction Merry and Pippin had gone. He was trying to cover more ground, I'm sure, but looked like he wanted to stick to the river, so that he wouldn't get lost. Which was incredibly smart and the last thing I would ever think about. I'm sure Merry and Pippin hadn't either.

"Sam," I called out before he had gone more than a few steps from me. He stopped and turned towards me. "Good luck."

Sam only nodded. He turned and started jogging which turned into a full run after a couple of steps. I watched Sam until the trees were too thick to see through.

I knew that this would probably be the last time I would see Sam for a very long time.

I was standing in the middle of camp, alone, sword out, waiting. Either Frodo would come or the orcs would get to me first. In the distance a horn sounded. It was distant, muffled. I had never heard the sound before but knew exactly what it meant. Boromir, Pippin and Merry were being surrounded.

Suddenly I felt tears coming to my eyes. I knew what was happening. My thoughts went to Boromir and Merry and Pippin. And I was stuck here. Waiting. Waiting for Frodo to return. The only thing that made me stay was the fear of going into battle and the knowledge that Frodo needed to come back for one of the boats to cross the river. And when he did I had to make sure there were no orcs on his tail.

"Please get there in time, Aragorn," I said quietly, praying to whoever was listening that things wouldn't end as tragically as I had remembered.


End file.
